Sentinels of the Crown
by Skitz470
Summary: The Sentinel of the Crown retired and vanished mysteriously after returning as the only survivor of the same shipwreck that claimed the lives of the King and Queen of Arendelle. Now with the Great Thaw and Elsa returning as Queen there are quiet rumors about who will protect her and her sister. Rated T for some swear words, dark thoughts (self harm) slight Krisanna and Elsa/OC
1. Prologue

Authors note: What you will read beyond is if my first ever attempt at writing fanfiction (or really writing a story at all) and is based just at the end of the animated Disney movie "Frozen" shortly after the Great Thaw. I got the basis of this story after reading another Frozen fanfic on here (Frozen-Onward). Over time I intend/hope to take the story past Frozen's ending as Vildayvin attempts to seek closure to his torturous thoughts and uphold an oath sworn to a dead king and Jharm strives to ensure the safety of the Crown against threats both within and from outside the kingdom. I do hope you enjoy what you read and any reviews would be great (especially so I can try to take lessons learned to make potential later chapters better).

**DISCLAIMER**: I do not own any aspect of Frozen or any of the characters from the movie used within this storyline (i.e. Elsa, Anna, Kristoff, etc etc etc).

**Shout out: **As I mentioned above I got the idea/desire to start making this story after reading Frozen Onward by N. J. Berm ( s/10125020/1/Frozen-Onward) and feel as such her story deserves a special note here. I hope/intend through Jharm (and possibly Vildayvin) to take the concept behind Frozen-Onward and try to show at times what someone might see/feel watching the problems Elsa and Anna go through as they try to pick up the pieces of a severed bond of friendship and true family and must face the fallout that such a childhood as they had can cause (i.e. Elsa's night terrors and Anna's abandonment fears.

**Backstory**

**Jharm Devaron** – a member of the Arendelle Royal Guard and son of Vildayvin Devaron. Raised on a strict belief in honor, integrity, and duty by his father, Jharm strives tirelessly to make his father proud and uphold his sworn oath to protect Arendelle and the royal family. He lost his mother early in his life and thought he had lost his father during the royal couple's fatal trip. What came back though was a mentally broken man who still suffers severe "survivors guilt" and nightmares.

**Appearance** - Standing about 5' 10" , a muscular physique from his constant training, and bearing a chiseled, angular face framed by short black hair and piercing steel gray eyes, Jharm can have an intimidating appearance at times. This is only magnified by the presence of a scar that runs from the left side of his forehead down his face, stopping at his cheek, an injury he suffered during training with his father.

**Vildayvin Devaron** – Vildayvin used to be the personal guard for the King and Queen of Arendelle. Fiercely loyal to the Crown he was one of the few who knew of Elsa's gift. Vil naturally accompanied them on their [final] ocean journey. No one knows what may have passed between the King and his protector during that terrible storm, for even to this day Vildayvin has no real recollection of the final moments ending in a massive wave crushing the vessel. Upon being rescued and bringing the horrible news back to Arendelle, Vil suffered with severe (and at times almost disabling) survivors guilt, feeling that it should have been his life that ended that night and not the King and Queens, lives he had sworn to protect at all cost. After accidentally injuring his son during a training session while overcome by flashbacks, Vildayvin officially retired from the Guard and moved to a small hut outside of Arendelle. Intent on ending out his days in solitude and despair, a fitting punishment for a failure and coward in his own eyes, the man hasn't been seen in Arendelle in almost 2 years.

**Appearance **- Originally standing about 5' 8" and sharing a similar build to his son; muscular, short black hair but sporting a thick black goatee, Vildayvin could only be considered a ghost of such a man now. Black hair growing white earlier then it should and slightly sunken eyes who's shine has long faded away and often are gazing into nothing or seeing things that are not there. His body keeping some of the physical strength still but nothing mentally or emotionally left to support it, he walks slightly hunched over as if from bearing a heavy weight upon his shoulders.

**Sentinel of the Crown:** The title of Sentinel is granted to a Royal Guardsman who is considered by the King (or Queen) to be so loyal, trustworthy, and skillful that they will become the direct protector of the Crown. A Guardsman who in the blink of an eye will be ready to possibly sacrifice their own life to protect the safety of the Royal Family. The rank of Sentinel is not granted lightly for with the rank the Guardsman gains unprecedented access to the Royal Family and the inner workings of the Kingdom.

**Prologue:**

"Promise me you will protect them for us Vil! Swear to me that if you survive you will protect them like you protected me!"

The King attempted to comfort his wife as he shouted to the large man before him, straining to project his voice over the howl of the winds above and the crash of waves against the sides of the ship. The burly figure gazed upon the king with a look of shock. The thought of him surviving while the two people before him perish terrified the man, a man who would without hesitation throw himself before a blade to save the life of the King or his family.

"Your Majesty, I will see that you survive! I swore that I would protect you!"

He turns to make for the top of the ship, hoping to give help in maintaining control of the ship when a strong arm grabs his shoulder. He turns to look into the sad eyes of the King once more.

"Vildayvin please, I fear that we will not survive this. We both know how tough and strong you are. If anyone has a chance to somehow survive this, its you. I must know that my daughters will have someone who will protect and watch over them for me! Please swear that should you live through this will you be there for them!"

After a brief second to process what he just heard, Vildayvin thumps his fist over his heart.

"My king, I swear to you that I will do as you wish! I will not fail you!"

A brief flicker of relief washes over the King's face but quickly vanishes as a wave slams against the ship rocking it violently. He pats his hand against the shoulder of the man responsible for his safety for so many years.

"Thank you my friend."

Vildayvin turned and bolted for the hatchway leading topside, intent on giving any aid possible to try to save the ship and his king while the King returned to the side of the Queen. As Vildayvin exits the hold he gazes up just in time to see a gargantuan wave arching over the top of the ship and can feel the ship leaning heavily to the side.

No...NOOOOOOOOOOO!

The massive wave crashes down on the boat followed by sheer and utter darkness.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Vildayvin bolts upright in his bed, sweat pouring down his body, the sheets cast off onto the floor during his erratic sleep. Eyes filled with terror gaze around at the small cottage, he sees and hears the howling snowstorm outside reminding him where he is at. Arendelle...3 years since he failed his king. 3 years since he failed his country in protecting their valiant leader. 3 years since he failed in upholding his oath and honor. Covering his face in his hands, the man falls back onto his bed, sobs echoing through the small building.

*****Elsewhere*****

The guard watches as team of fellow guards, with Prince Hans close behind, approach from down the hallway. In his gut the man somehow knows who they are coming for. The woman behind him in the cell, chained to the floor like some common dog. The Queen of Arendelle, Elsa. The man could swear he saw a brief glint of satisfaction in Hans face but then it vanished. The lead guard stepped up to Jharm.

"We are here for the Queen. She has been sentenced to execution for the death of Princess Anna by Prince Hans."

Jharm glances around, hoping to see some sign that they can't be serious. This wasn't right, none of it was right. Execute the Queen by order of a complete stranger? A stranger who only recently showed up and wooed the Princess, a stranger who was 13th in line in his own kingdom, (a sure sign that it would be long before he would hold the throne), and yet now he is in position to get complete control over Arendelle and all it would require is removal of the woman behind him, a woman Jharm had sworn an oath to protect. He glances up to see tendrils of ice race across the ceiling, evidence that the Queen's power was escalating and if given enough time she might break her chains. His hand slowly reached down towards the hilt of his sword, the thought of attempting to hold off the men and giving his Queen time to escape raced through his head. He realized though that he was easily outnumbered and his hand shifted downwards towards the ring of keys next to his sword. Fidgeting he drops the keys to the floor.

(Guard 1) "Hurry up!"

Jharm picks the keys up and begins "attempting" to unlock the door, making it look as if he is having a hard time due to the severe cold.

(Guard 2) "She's dangerous! Move quickly"

(Guard 3) "Careful"

Jharm slides the key into the door and can feel the door is slightly stuck, surely from ice starting to freeze it over. Making sure not to put too much weight behind it he attempts to budge the door and thankfully fails.

"It won't open!"

(Guard 1) "It's frozen shut"

(Guard 2) "Put your back into it!"

Jharm attempts to slam the door again, giving it a bit more force but still attempting to hold back. The door still manages to hold in place.

(Guard 4) "Come on! Push!"

Jharm is slammed from behind as the group of guards all slam against the door, causing it to give way just as a wooden beam and stones fall in front of them. Hans rushes past them and they all see a large opening in the cell wall, cold air rushing in. Jharm's gaze falls to the floor and sees a pair of frozen and twisted manacles...the same ones Queen Elsa was locked up in.

_It worked!_

He watched as Prince Hans looked back at him and the rest of the guards, a look of anger and annoyance on his face, before he bolted through the gaping hole and out into the blizzard, sword in hand.

_Run my Queen...run!_


	2. Secrets of the Past

**Chapter 1**

Jharm sprinted up the twisting stairs to the top of one of the towers overlooking the harbor.

_Did she escape? Where is the Princess? Is she really dead?_

Grabbing a spyglass sitting on a table by the door, the guard forced the door open and stepped out into the blizzard, the wind buffeting him ferociously. He attempted to look around, straining his eyes to see if he could see anything below but all he could see was white. All of a sudden though the blizzard literally vanished, almost as if the power fueling it had evaporated. A distance away he could spot two figures, one almost laying on the ground and the other standing over them. A quick look through the spyglass revealed it to be Prince Hans standing over Queen Elsa.

_No! My Queen!_

Then before his very eyes he watched as Princess Anna dashed in front of Hans and as she raised her hand to stop the coming sword strike...turned into an ice statue, the blade shattering against her hand. Jharm couldn't believe what he just saw. The Princess sacrificed her life to save the Queen...the Princess was still alive...Hans had lied...she had been alive when he had called for the Queen's execution! Red hot fury burned through the soldiers veins as his hand found the hilt of his sword. Hans had betrayed the Queen and the Princess! Thoughts of vengeance disappeared though as he noticed something happening as the grieving Queen hung onto the frozen form of her sister. Raising the glass to his eye once more Jharm could clearly see color returning to Anna's body.

_Can it be true? Please have it be true!_

Suddenly the Princess slumped slightly as the last of the ice thawed from her body. Queen Elsa could feel the movement and gazed up to see her sister was alive. Jharm lowered the spyglass as a sudden realization hit him.

_They are alive and safe! Wait...Hans is still out there with them!_

Turning and bolting back down the stairs as fast as he could go, the guardsman pushed himself to the limits. He hoped he would be able to reach the Queen and her sister before Hans could attempt anything again (not realizing that Hans was out cold after getting flung backwards and hitting his head off the ice). As he exited the castle towards the docks he came to a sudden stop as he realized something.

_The snow...its...gone?_

He gazed around and indeed it was all gone. The snow and ice were nowhere to be seen, the fjord unfrozen and open water once more. A small smile crept across his face, until he remembered his mission and continued down the docks, looking around for any sign of Elsa or Anna. A ship caught his eye as he reached the end of the docks. It looked like it was moving on its own at first until he spotted the Queen on board, using her powers to propel the ship forward. He didn't see any sign of Hans though, and there was a strange man with a reindeer also on board. As the ship drew closer to the dock Jharm could tell the dignitaries and other people gathered there were likely to rush the Queen, many with questions and demands. Gently nudging his way through the crowd he positioned himself so if any should attempt to rush Her Majesty he would be able to work to hold them back. Thankfully once the ship came to a stop and the Queen stepped off onto the dock the people stayed back slightly, though all shouted various questions towards the woman before them. With a regal gesture of her hand Elsa managed to get complete silence.

"Please. I understand you are all looking for an explanation, and you deserve one. However this is neither the time nor the place."

She then turned towards the Captain of the Guard who had also positioned himself nearest the boat.

"Please gather everyone in the palace courtyard so that I may address my citizens properly. In regards to Prince Hans - "

She didn't get to finish her sentence for at that precise moment, a very wet and coughing Hans stumbled across the dock.

"Guards seize her, the sorceress is dangerous! She killed her sister and threatened me!"

It was at this point that Princess Anna, who was standing right next to the Queen, exploded.

"No she didn't you liar! You tricked me and left me to freeze to death so that you could kill Elsa and be king! Arrest HIM! He will remain in the dungeons until we can send him back to where he came from!"

Jharm hesitated but a moment, surprised at the uncharacteristic, forceful nature the Princess just revealed, but then quickly snapped to action. He seized Hans and with the help of 2 other nearby guards dragged the squirming prince towards the castle and the dungeons below, the man bellowing something about them all being deceived by a witch...but Jharm knew what he had seen before, having to work to keep from hitting the pathetic excuse for a man he now hauled down the stairs to his waiting cell.

Once he deposited the villainous scum in his new quarters, the soldier turned and headed out to the courtyard, fully expecting the ever growing crowd of citizens, all waiting to hear from their mysterious Queen. Before long the courtyard was packed wall to wall by people, Jharm standing against the far wall, having a clear view of the balcony he knew the Queen would use to make the aforementioned address to the people. Suddenly the doors to the balcony swung open and Kai walked out.

"Queen Elsa and Princess Anna of Arendelle!"

As the royals stepped out onto the balcony Jharm could hear some slight gasps of amazement, one such gasp escaping from his lips. There was never any question as to the beauty of Queen Elsa but what they gazed upon was more stunning then any could imagine. Rays of light gleamed off a shining crown that rested on top of the platinum head of the Queen and what almost looked like ice droplets on her gown almost glowed with an inner light. A moment later Elsa began to speak, first apologizing for inadvertently causing the sudden freeze and explaining why she had run away on her Coronation night. She paused as if she was waiting for some kind of response to her revealing that she had been born with the power to control ice and snow. When no kind of response came, she continued in her speech for a few more moments until she neared the end.

"...a woman forged from winter, wielder of magic and ruling monarch of Arendelle."

Once again there was complete and utter silence. Jharm could see that the Queen was nervous.

_She thinks the people don't want her as their Queen...no...that can't be true!_

Looking around Jharm did the only thing he could do. At the top of his voice he bellowed the only words that he felt needed to be said.

"All hail Queen Elsa!"

People around him joined in the shout as choruses of "long live the Queen" and "hail Queen Elsa" rang out across the courtyard. The guard could tell this was the response she had hoped and desired for. Suddenly she raised her hands, the crowd quieting instantly. She then proceeded to recognize her sister and all that she had done for the kingdom and how if it hadn't been for Princess Anna the eternal winter may have never been lifted, and that a massive celebration would be held in her honor in seven days. She then turned and seemed to exchange some words with her sister and then the two hugged and turned and left the balcony. Jharm began to work his way back through the crowd to head into the castle.

Upon entering the castle he noticed a general lack of guard presence. There were a few guards about but where were the roaming patrols and guards at the entrances to the castle? After such a series of events that happened recently the Castle guards should be even more evident, especially with all the dignitaries still within the city from the Coronation event. Where was the Captain of the Guard? He grabbed the nearest guard he saw and inquired such a question to him.

"I don't know, he disappeared shortly after coming back up from the docks...I hear he may have been removed from duty by her Majesty."

_Oh no...if that is true then no one is handling assignments so...who is guarding the Queen?!_

Jharm moved through the entry hall and up the stairs, spotting Kai thankfully.

"Kai...where is the Queen? Did she have anyone with her?"

"She is in a meeting with all the dignitaries just down the hall there."

"Did any guards accompany her or anything?"

"No, I do not believe so."

_Damn it all!_

Kai looked slightly confused at Jharms scowl.

"Why, is anything wrong?"

Jharm hurried down the hallway, heading in the direction Kai pointed

"I hope not!"

He reaches the door and puts his ear to it. He hears voices within, one definitely Queen Elsa and the other a man that he didn't recognize the voice of. From the tone of the mans voice it sounded as if he was arguing with the Queen about Prince Hans. Accepting that it was a sign the Queen wasn't in any danger Jharm stepped to the side of the door and took the stance of parade rest but still keeping a slight ear towards the door should any sign of trouble emit from within. After a short period the doors opened and Elsa and Anna exited the room. Jharm snapped to attention and placing his right fist over his heart and bowing slightly to each woman [the general method of the Royal Guards to acknowledge the Crown].

"Your Majesty...Princess"

Elsa nodded to him gently as she and Anna continued on towards the kitchen.

_Strange...I don't remember him being there when we first went in there._

After giving the sisters a generous distance for privacy and respect, Jharm turned and quietly followed after them until they reached the smaller dining room where they had apparently chosen to have their dinner in. Choosing to remain outside the door since he had never been "officially" assigned to guard the Royals and thus may not be appreciated to be in on a private dinner he resumed his position next to the door at parade rest once again.

After a few minutes Kai came walking down the hall with the stranger from the boat earlier and a...small snowman. Kai gave the guard a small nod as he realized the reasoning for his earlier questions but then paused as he remembered about the snowman behind him. Jharm glances down at the snowman who looked up at him with a big toothy grin and waved a flimsy stick hand at him. Giving a nod of acknowledgment he returned to looking straight forward. The butler gave a small shrug accepting the guards reaction to such an odd sight. Opening the doors the man stepped in and announced the two.

"Kristoff Bjorgman and Olaf...the snowman."

The two entered the dining hall and Kai shut the doors.

_Well now I know the mans name, and the snowmans too...Kristoff, whoever he is must be important if the Queen invites him to dinner._

Pushing the thought from his head he steps away from the door and patrols a short distance up and down the hallway to keep the blood flowing in his legs before retaking his position next to the door. The doors open up and Kristoff and Olaf come out, both looking confused. Jharm glances at the man, wondering why he suddenly left the room. The ice trader looks at the guard and shrugs...apparently whatever happened even he doesn't understand. A noise from within caught the guards attention...it sounded like faint crying. Knowing the layout of the room and the fact the only other recent occupants outside of the Queen and Princess were in front of him, Jharm decided to remain next to the door unless

the sounds got louder or worse. After a few moments the cries faded away. The doors opened up once again and Princess Anna was standing there, a big smile on her face and bouncing around like her normal self.

"Its OK guys, you can come back in now!"

The trio enters back into the hall to return to their dinner. The rest of the night passes normally, Jharm following a distance behind the sisters as they eventually make their way to Anna's room. At that point Jharm realizes something again.

_Still no replacements...no one else to check up on the Queen? I can't leave them alone...what if something happens?_

Deciding to do the only option he has left, he walks down the hallway a short distance and fetches a small chair and brings it back next to the door. He then sits down and watches the hallway until eventually exhaustion overtakes him.

Suddenly the sound of screaming from within the room shakes Jharm awake, causing him to fall out of the chair.

"No! Please! I'm sorry, it was an accident!"

"Elsa! Elsa, please wake up!

"Anna!"

"ELSA!"

Jharm stands before the door, hand poised to open the door but from what he can hear it almost sounds as if the Queen is having some kind of nightmare and Anna is trying to wake her and the thought of barging in on them keeps the guard from opening the door, though he does lean against the door slightly, trying to hear and determine if everything is in fact alright. What he hears next shocks him to the core.

"Please, you have to kill me, end this torture. Destroy me before I can hurt anyone else. I'm sorry I was too weak to do it myself, I tried. I don't want to live without her, she was all I had left. Please..."

Jharm stumbles back from the door.

_No...what have I done? I shouldn't have heard that...damn you Jharm!_

Panicking, he grabs the chair and moves it back to its original spot and then hurries down the flights of stairs towards the small barracks at the back of the castle for guards assigned to the castle. Thankfully the room is mostly empty at this hour and the shaken guard takes off his jacket and collapses on one of the beds, staring at the ceiling.

_No one must ever know what I heard...I'm sorry my Queen...I'm sorry._

He then drifts off to sleep.

**====The next day====**

The Queen walked slowly up and down the row of men as she spoke.

"I am sure many of you have heard rumors as to the dismissal of the Captain of the Guard. I will put it simply...it was decided he was no longer acceptable for the job. Until a new one can be chosen you will take your orders from Kai."

Elsa gestures to the butler standing near her. A slight grumble or two can be heard amongst some of the men at the idea of taking orders from a servant but they are silenced by an icy glare from the Queen's cerulean eyes. As she gazes down the row of men, her eyes come to settle on the guard she saw outside the study after her meeting with the dignitaries.

_Where do I recognize his face from? It seems familiar to me...but different._

She then looks towards the castle and sees Anna standing by the entry door, a look of impatience on her face. Elsa had promised to spend the day with her and here she was spending it doing "Queen stuff". She walked towards Jharm until she was a few steps away.

"You will be coming with me. (to the rest of the Royal Guards) the rest of you are dismissed!"

In one motion the guards bow to the Queen and fall out of formation, other then Jharm who remains standing still.

"You will be accompanying myself and Princess Anna today."

(Gives a bow) "As you wish your Majesty."

Elsa walks past the man and up to Anna and the two head through the castle and out into the royal gardens, Jharm following a short distance behind them. The two sisters slowly walk through the gardens, talking and laughing as they make up for all the lost years. At one point Anna dashes forward, intent on gathering up the prettiest flowers she can to brighten up her sisters boring study. Elsa slowly continues walking as she glances behind her to Jharm and gestures for him to move forward. Obeying the Queen's wish he walks faster until he is beside her.

"I desire to know more about the ones responsible for the safety of myself and more importantly...of Anna. What is your name?"

"Jharm, your Majesty, Jharm Devaron."

_Devaron...why does that name ring familiar to me as well?_

"Well Jharm, there are those who do not seem to agree with the idea of me being Queen after what happened and finding out about my powers. Where do you stand on that?

Jharm stops and looks at Elsa, slightly surprised at the suddenness of the question.

"What happened was an unfortunate accident, and as for your powers...it changes nothing. You are my Queen, I will serve and protect you until either the day I die or I am relieved of my duties, not a moment earlier then that."

Elsa nods slightly and the two continue walking.

"Tell me...do any other Devarons serve in the Guard?"

Jharm seems to falter ever so slightly at this question.

"Presently no your Majesty."

"But they did I take it?"

"Yes...my father used to serve until he retired"

"What is his name?"

"Vildayvin"

_Vildayvin...wait...it can't be._

* * *

Multiple memories flash through Elsa's mind. In each memory one thing is constant, a large man with black hair and a bushy black goatee standing generally near her father and one name keeps getting repeated in each memory. Vildayvin, along with a title sometimes...Sentinel. She then recalls a most recent memory...and a painful one at that. Her parents are leaving for a 2 week journey across the sea, and accompanying them as usual is Vil Devaron, Sentinel to the Crown.

* * *

Elsa stops and looks towards Jharm.

"Your father is Vildayvin Devaron...who used to be the Sentinel for my mother and father...and he is still alive?"


	3. Learning of the Sentinel

Jharm can sense the shock in the Queen's voice as she speaks.

"Yes Your Majesty, he accompanied your mother and father on that final sea voyage and became the only known survivor of that night. As far as I know he has never spoken to anyone, including me, of that night. All I can say is he has never been the same since, it was only a few weeks later that he went to the Captain of the Guard and stated that for "reasons of safety of the royal family" he could no longer serve within the Guard, and begged me not to look for him."

Elsa notices both the look of sadness in Jharm's eyes as he speaks, and also that when he mentions Vildayvins reason for departing the guard he runs his hand down the scar on his face.

"Where does he live now?"

Jharm hesitates, unsure how much info he should reveal. A brief look of fear washes over his face, afraid what the Queen might intend to do with the information.

"Outside of Arendelle"

She opens her mouth to speak when Anna shows back up, her hands full of a plethora of vibrant flowers.

"Look Elsa, aren't they all so pretty?"

The Queen smiles at her little sister as she takes the flowers from her.

"They are beautiful Anna, let's make sure they are properly taken care of."

She turn and gestures towards Kai who was diligently waiting a short distance away in case either of the royals might need his help.

"Kai could you please see that these get placed into a vase of water and put on my desk?"

She then leans in closer to the faithful manservant so only the two can hear what she says next.

"Also please get me the service records for both Vildayvin and Jharm Devaron and place them on my desk as well."

Kai bows and quickly moves off to fetch all the requested items. Elsa turns back towards Jharm.

"Thank you for speaking with me Jharm. Please leave us, you have been quite busy as of late and deserve some rest. We will be fine."

The guard hesitates slightly as if he desires to argue at the idea of leaving the royal sisters unprotected but thinks better of it for one does not disobey an order from the Queen herself. He thumps his fist over his heart and bows to both of the sisters.

"As you wish my Queen...Princess."

He then performs an about-face movement and walks away. Anna glances up at her older sister with a slightly confused look on her face.

"What was that all about Elsa? What were you talking about?"

The Queen gives Anna a small smile as she hugs her.

"Nothing important Anna, now...what else would you like to do for fun? We still have the rest of the day together!"

After a few moments Anna's face lights up.

"Well I am a little hungry...lets go and grab a snack from the kitchen!"

Without waiting for a response Anna pulls Elsa along as the two hurry off towards the kitchen laughing.

Jharm walks outside of the entry doors and down into the courtyard. He pauses and looks back, still unsure about leaving the sisters alone but then reminding himself that Elsa at least was far from defenseless...especially if Anna was in peril. He looks out towards the open gate contemplating what he will do with his time off when he thinks of the conversation he just had with the Queen. He heads for the barracks and changes into his civilian style outfit of a simple blue shirt, black leather pants and boots and begins to head through town.

Eventually he leaves the edge of town and after a little while longer of walking through the woods he reaches the edge of a small clearing. Within a simple cottage sits, a small stable next to it housing a solitary horse. A few feet away from the house stands what looks like simple training dummies, mannequins crafted out of wood with a wooden sword and shield fastened to its "hands". Standing before the dummies is a man that Jharm knows very well...or at least used to. Black hair that has started graying earlier then it should be, a salt and pepper goatee that is rapidly thinning, the man is overall aging harder and faster then he should be for having been such a hearty and stout warrior just a few years ago.

In an effort to combat the aging it would seem he is attempting to do some training against the dummies. Jharm can tell though that the swings are bad, as if the man isnt able to really focus on what he is doing and eventually the figure throws the sword a short distance away from him and clobbers the wooden dummy in the face before falling to his knee's, his chest rising from silent sobs. The younger Devaron remains in the treeline as he watches his father break down, wanting to move in and comfort him but remembering what he had promised his father right before he vanished into the hills.

* * *

"Jharm, please listen to me. It is no longer safe for me to remain here guarding the Royal family. My arm and mind are no longer my own."

The elder Devaron glances at the angry looking scar on his sons face, a blatant reminder of what happens when he loses his focus and will.

"I am leaving Arendelle, please promise me that you won't come find me. I injured you once...I can't risk the thought of doing anything to you or anyone else again. Please...promise me!"

With a tear forming in his grey eyes Jharm nods at his father as the two exchange a simple handshake.

"I promise you father, I won't come looking for you."

Vil nods his head and claps his hand onto Jharms shoulder.

"Thank you...I have trained you well my son, now its up to you to continue the family line where I have faltered. I have faith in you, I know you won't fail the Crown."

With that said the man turns and mounts a nearby horse and takes off out of the courtyard and out of Arendelle, never to be seen or heard from again (or so anyone other then Jharm knows).

* * *

Jharm had never intended to find his father again, for he had promised that he wouldnt look for him. If it hadn't been for him accidentally encountering the clearing while tracking a deer he was huntin, he wouldnt be standing in the spot he was right now, watching his father sobbing at the foot of a wooden soldier. With a final glance towards Vildavyin he turns and walks back through the woods, not wanting to tarry any longer should he be spotted by his father.

Returning to Arendelle, Jharm decides to wander the marketplace, attempting to clear his head but still thinking about his conversation with the queen.

_Did I tell her too much? Will she attempt to find my father? What will she do when she finds him? Will she be angry since he survived and her parents did not? Will she charge him with desertion for fleeing the guard? No...she's too kind for that...but she is the Queen and she has her duties to maintain just like me. What if she finds out I heard what she said last night? Would that affect her decision about my father? Damn it Jharm what have you done? _

_You have risked your father being found and possibly charged with desertion...you have learned things you have no damn right to know. Now you have the Queen personally speaking with you, what if I let the wrong things slip? God...if I get dismissed it would crush my father if he ever found out._

Jharm plops down on a nearby bench, gazing out across the fjord and out to the open ocean as his mind continues to race with thoughts.

* * *

**Back in the castle's study**

"So do you like the flowers Elsa?"

"Of course Anna, they brighten up my desk perfectly, thank you for gathering them."

"What are you reading? More boring Queeny stuff?"

Elsa laughs slightly as she gets battered by the constant questions coming from her younger sister.

"Yes Anna...more "Queeny" stuff. Just some papers I want to read before we head to dinner ok? Should we invite Kristoff and Olaf again?

Anna's face brightens up at the mention of the ice-harvester's name. Then in an attempt to hide the obvious affection she has for the man her face returns to a more neutral state.

"Yeah, at least they would be better company then my oh so boring sister always doing her Queeny stuff".

Another laugh escapes from the lips of the Queen as she looks up from the documents at her sister.

"Ok then silly, why don't you go fetch them, I will meet the three of you shortly ok?"

Anna hesitates for a second, not wanting to leave her sister as they only recently got each other back, but the idea of seeing Olaf and Kristoff bolstered her as she smiled and bounced out of the study to find the two. Elsa laughed again and shook her head as she returned her attention to what she was reading.

Before her were two folders containing a multitude of papers and documents detailing the service history of two very specific men. On one was written "Vildayvin Devaron" and the other "Jharm Devaron". On Vildayvins folder the words "retired" have been scrawled under the name at some point.

The Queen glances through the papers, slowly gathering more information on both the man that used to guard her parents so dutifully and apparently managed to survive their final voyage, and his son who seems to have had a hand in recent events more then he ever let on.

Near the back of the folder she stumbles across a few more recent notes. The first note stating about the "assault on the ice castle" as the writer termed it, and how Jharm had to be pried off one of the Duke's men after he claimed that the bodyguard had attempted to assassinate the Queen even against Hans' direct order. The second one describing the the younger Devaron's insistance at maintaining guard of the Queen even while she is in her cell and his overly vocal opinion against the use of the manacles on the Queen. The note ended stating that strict disciplinary measures would occur once events settled down a little and Prince Hans manages to get summer back. Both notes having the signature of the now ex-Captain of the Guard scrawled at the bottom.

_He was the one at my door? Yes...the voices were the same...it doesnt make sense though...I don't think the door even had that much frost near it...could he have..._

Elsa looks up from the table as a though springs to her mind. A thought that she HAD to get an answer for as soon as possible. Getting up from the desk she hurries out to the hall, glancing around to see if she was alone. Not seeing anyone present, and figuring Anna was either still hunting for the boys or already waiting at the dinner table, Elsa turned and quickly walked down the hallway, making for the dungeons.

As she reached the doorway leading downwards the guard next to the portal snapped to attention.

"Your Majesty!"

"Open the door please"

The guard seems a little confused as to why the Queen would want down in the dungeon...the only people down there were Hans and the Weselton's hoodlums. With a mental shrug he obeyed the request and turned and unlocked the door, holding it open for Elsa who nodded at him politely and hurried down the stairs. As she reached the bottom she could see the cell at the end of the hallway...the same cell that she had been locked up in after falling unconscious while escaping the falling chandelier in her ice palace. The castle mason had already begun work on repairs, sealing up the gaping hole she had made in her escape. She spotted one such mason still at work, probably about to finish up for the night. She walked up to the man who turned around to see none other then the Queen standing before him.

"My Queen!"

He quickly bows low and then realizes the room they are standing in...he had been informed as to what had caused the damage to the wall here.

"How can I help you Your Majesty?"

Elsa nods at the man as he stands up again.

"I would like some information about the...integrity of this area. I am sure you are aware of what caused the damage and I hope you can answer some questions."

"Certainly my Queen, anything I know is at your disposal."

"Tell me, this doorway here, was it heavily damaged by the frost that damaged the outer wall?

The mason looks at the doorway, no real sign of any damage visible, and they hadnt even done any sort of repairs or anything on it yet.

"No m'am. In fact the only repairs that area needs is from the hinges getting bent when it was slammed by the guards. There is only minimal sign of any sort of frost damage."

"Could there have been enough frost to say...freeze the door in place?"

"No Queen Elsa...if there had been that much frost it would have likely cracked the wooden frame and weakened the surrounding stone."

The Queen stands in silence for a moment as she processes the information. She then looks back at the Mason and smiles.

"Thank you for all of your help good sir, I must ask though that you do not divulge any of this information to anyone. Do you understand?

The Mason jumps slightly as the Queen's tone goes stern, punctuating her seriousness about the request.

"Certainly Your Majesty, no one shall hear of it from me I promise you."

The Queen smiles once again and nods at the Mason and turns to leave.

"I thank you Master Mason, have a good night."

"Good bye my Queen"

He bows to Elsa once again and then turns to finish his work, a slight look of confusion at the Queen's appearance and strange questions but knowing better then to think on it too hard he simply shrugs and starts packing up his equipment and heading back to his house for the night.

The Queen hurries back upstairs and makes for the dinning room where Anna, Kristoff, and Olaf are probably waiting impatiently for her. As she heads down the hallway she can see Anna standing outside the rooms doorway as she suddenly sees her older sister.

"Elsa! Where have you been?!"

Anna runs at Elsa and latches onto her arm.

"You are way late! Kristoff and Olaf are waiting inside talking, they refused to sit down until you were here. What took you so long?!"

Elsa smiled down at her sister, the care and worry in her voice easily detectable.

"Im sorry Anna, I got distracted and lost track of the time. I do hope I didn't upset you."

"Its ok, but don't do it again!"

Anna attempts to give Elsa a really stern look but can only hold it for a few moments before a giggle breaks through as they open the doors. Kristoff and Olaf standing a short distance off to the side talking about something. Once everyone is seated the kitchen staff show up as if on signal with plates of steaming hot food. The dinner goes on like one would expect, Elsa inquiring if Kristoff is enjoying his time at the castle, what Olaf has been doing, and other such things. The whole time though questions and thoughts were racing through her mind.

_I know I heard him claim that the door was frozen. Yet the Mason states that if such a thing were true there would be more damage. Did he really go through all that effort to stall their entry? Then there's the incident at my ice palace. Even after that and whatever trouble that may have gotten him in to, he still fought to protect me._

Her mind then changes gears as she starts thinking of the contents of the other folder, the one for Jharm's father as well as what she had learned from Jharm during their brief conversation.

_Papa trusted the man almost more then anyone...he was one of the few people other than Kai or Gerda to know the truth about my secret. He is the only living person who was with my parents during their final hours. Then he suddenly retires claiming it was for the safety of me and Anna...and why do I feel that scar on Jharm's face somehow ties into all of it. I think I may need to request a visit from Mr. Devaron._

"Kai, please come here. (To the others at the table) Pardon me for one second."

As usual the faithful servant is not far from the Queen and hurries forward, the Queen gently taking his arm as they both move a short distance away from the table.

"Kai, I need some of our most trustful and dependable couriers to deliver a message for me. It will be a challenge for I do not know exactly where they are having to go. To put it simply, I need a message delivered to Vildayvin Devaron that the Queen politely requests his presence at the castle as soon as possible. Make sure they have an accurate description of him. The only information I have is that he lives somewhere outside of Arendelle, quite possibly I think within walking distance. No one else must know of this errand or where Mr. Devaron lives do you understand me?

The butler nods and gives the Queen a bow as he accepts her request.

"As you wish my Queen, it will be done."

He turns and hurries out the door to dispatch the riders as Elsa returns to the table.

Jharm gets up from the bench and turns to return to the barracks as 4 men on horseback tear out of the castle, each bearing the markings of an official Arendelle Courier, and each making for a different gate of Arendelle. Couriers are not an unusual sight of course...but 4 couriers leaving at once and riding as hard as they were, whatever they were carrying must be of extreme importance and time. Pushing it from his mind the guard continues along eventually reaching the barracks and turning in for the night.


	4. The Sentinel returns to Arendelle

After waking up and getting into his guard uniform, Jharm glanced at the posted schedule for the guards that Kai had recently made. Seeing the rest of the guards scheduled for different areas of the castle and surrounding grounds or schedule off he noticed at the bottom a special note.

"The following guards will report directly to Kai for their assigned patrols and duties."

There was one name underneath the sentence...Jharm Devaron. Figuring that it might mean he will have some sort of floating area to help with proper coverage he hurries off to find the portly servant. Upon entering the main hall, he spots the man busying himself with taking care of a multitude of tasks.

He watched as the man directed servants to areas that needed cleaning, and guards to their respective posts. It seemed that since the Queen's decree placing Kai in temporary command of the guard, most of the men accepted his orders without issue, though a few still seemed to bristle slightly at receiving their commands from a simple servant and not the Captain.

"Kai, excuse me sir but it would seem I am to report to you for my duties?"

The servant nodded and pointed up the stairs.

"That would be correct Jharm, at the Queen's request you will be stationed near her unless she directs otherwise. She can be found up in her study with Princess Anna."

Clicking his heels and bowing to the servant in an effort to show that he, at least, accepts the servant's commands. He then turns and hurries up the main staircase and makes for the Queen's study. He reached the door and after hearing the royal sisters speaking within, he took up his standard position next to the door. A few moments later Kai came down the hall with a short and rather squirrely looking man...the Duke of Weselton (or Duke Weasel as Jharm liked to consider him...even before the incident at the ice palace he didn't really trust the small man, something about him rubbed the soldier the wrong way). The servant nodded to the guard and knocked on the door.

"Yes?"

"Your Majesty, the Duke of Weaseltown is here to see you."

The short man bristled at this.

"Weselton!".

Jharm had to fight to mask the grin that almost spread across his face at hearing this.

"Thank you Kai. Just a moment."

A moment later Princess Anna came bouncing out of the room and hurried off somewhere. With a gesture of his hand, Kai opened the door and beckoned the Duke to enter then he shut the door behind the man. He turned and started to walk past Jharm but then stopped and spoke softly to the man.

"I do not trust that man...be ready should he attempt anything."

Jharm nods.

"Always, I shall see that She remains safe."

The manservant smiles and walks off

_Just like his father it would seem. If the Queen is looking at doing what I think she might be doing...she has the right idea._

Vildayvin turns as he is about to enter his house as he hears what sounds like hoofbeats in the distance. Suddenly a rider appears from the edge of the clearing on the worn dirt road (if one could really call it that) that provides the only cleared route between the nearest road almost 2 miles away and his isolated home. The man's weary eyes grow wide as he spots the insignia denoting the rider as an Arendelle Courier. The rider spots him at the door and guides the horse down the road, pulling up a short distance away from the house before he dismounts and approaches Vildayvin.

"Excuse me sir, I am looking for a Vildayvin Devaron and from what I have managed to gather from people I have spoken with you seem to match the appearance I was given. Would you be able to tell me if you are in fact him please?"

The man steps away from the door, closing it in the process. He contemplates his answer, unsure if he should respond truthfully or not. Then the thought that maybe something happened to his son makes his mind up for him.

"Yes...you have found Vildayvin. May I ask as to why you were attempting to find me, I am certain it was no simple task."

The courier kind of chuckles slightly at hearing this.

"No it was not, please don't take this the wrong way but you are an incredibly hard man to find. I come bearing a message from Queen Elsa of Arendelle. I was instructed to deliver this to you (hands him an envelope stamped with the official seal of Arendelle) and to wait for a response."

He then turns and hops back on his horse and silently waits as Vildayvin clutches the envelope in a shaking hand.

_Queen Elsa of Arendelle...sending me a message?_

The man looks up towards the path the courier came from, almost expecting to see a squad of Arendelle soldiers following behind, assigned to take the Sentinel into custody for desertion or his failures to protect Elsa's parents. When no such group showed up he glances back down at the letter, a shaking hand breaking the seal and opening the letter.

_Greetings Sentinel Vildayvin Devaron,_

_I hope this letter finds you alive and well. I have recently learned of your presence, for until just a few hours ago I had been led no one returned from my parents voyage. I then learned of your sudden, and sad, departure from Arendelle after your return. Try as I might it would seem no one really knows any more information and thus I would politely request that you join me at my castle as soon as you are able to get here. Should you need adequate transport please let the courier know, he will be able to assist you. You are free to choose to decline this invitation, nothing more will be said but I would greatly appreciate it if you would accept it. I feel there are many things you and I have to speak about. I anxiously anticipate your response. _

_Sincerely,_

_Queen Elsa_

_Queen of Arendelle_

Vildayvin stares at the letter, almost unbelieving of what he just read.

_She wants to speak with...me? Free to choose to decline?_

The man glances off into the forest, thoughts of declining coming to mind. He was a failure, a coward. How could he bring himself to speak with the Queen...the daughter of the man he had failed. He recalled memories of Elsa, though troubled by her magic she still managed to always be incredibly kind and caring towards him and anyone else she met. How could he bring himself to waste her time and sully her being with his presence. He glances back down at the letter

_Politely request...many things you and I have to speak about...anxiously anticipate..._

He looks up at the courier as he folds up the letter.

"Please tell Her Majesty that I will be accepting her request and will show up as soon as I can."

The courier nods and turns and takes off back down the road, pushing his horse as hard as he can. The instructions from Kai, the Queen's personal servant, were very specific.

(Kai) "If you locate the man, wait for his response. Once he gives it return here with all due speed, the Queen desires to know as soon as possible if he was found."

Vildayvin watches the man leave the clearing and turns and heads back into the cottage. Opening a wardrobe near his bed, he reaches in and pulls out a sizable trunk that was buried under clothes. Turning to a small night-table next to his bed, he opens the drawer and pulls out a small silver key fastened to a silver chain. He sticks it into the lock on the chest and it pops open with a small click. Raising the lid reveals clothing and other items stored within, the top piece of clothing being the outfit of a Royal Guard. Laying on top of everything is a simple picture of two people...the King and Queen of Arendelle. Gently picking up the picture Vil glances down at it.

"Well my friend...maybe it is time to bring an end to it all. Time to answer for my failures."

He turns and places the picture on the bed and starts pulling clothing out of the chest until he pulls out a set of nicely made dress clothes. Placing them on the bed he goes about cleaning himself up. Trimming his beard, combing his hair, etc. After dressing himself up he stands before a mirror in the corner of the room. What he sees almost surprises him. In place of the usual worn, hunched over form he had grown used to seeing over the years stood a tall, proud soldier of Arendelle, clad in a green dress shirt with the crest of Arendelle sewn over the heart and a purple and gold sash around his waist, black dress trousers and black boots. He turns and pulls a black dress coat out of the trunk and puts it on, closing and locking the trunk and placing the key around his neck. He turns to leave and then stops and goes back to the wardrobe and pulls out a heavy brown cloak and hat. The cloak and hat work to hide his clothing and his face. Walking outside he turns and locks the door before un-tethering his horse and mounting up.

"Well Steelhoof...ready for what might be our last ride together?"

The horse neighs slightly as if answering its master before the two take off down the road and head towards Arendelle.

**Back at the castle**

"Apology! I owe you nothing, madam; it is _you_ who should be offering _me_ such things. You should begging at my feet not to reveal to everyone the monster you truly are. You may have fooled all of your witless peasants but I am not so easily deceived!"

The guards eyes opened wide at hearing this and was preparing himself to enter the room when suddenly he felt the temperature of the area plummet.

_Oh no...I believe that was the wrong thing to say Weasel..._

"SILENCE!"

Jharm hears what sounds like a fist slam off a surface. He begins to wonder if he might have to rush in to save the Duke from the Queen (reluctantly but he couldn't risk anything happening and the Duke using it to hurt the Queen or Arendelle). Kai, having returned recently, shakes his head at the guard as if to tell him not to interfere just yet. As if on signal a call comes from within the room shortly after.

"Kai!"

The man opens the door and cautiously entered the room, leaving the door slightly cracked.

"Please have the Duke escorted back to his ship, it seems something urgent has come up and he must return home immediately. You may come and collect your men as soon as you are ready to sail. That is all."

Jharm then sees a stunned Duke leaving the room, escorted out by Kai. The shock seems to only last a moment for then suddenly the Duke suddenly pushed the servant away.

"Get your hands off me fool!"

Angrily the Duke then storms off as Jharm follows after him for a short distance before a hand on his shoulder stops him.

"Let him go, there are two men at the entrance that will escort him out, you shall remain near the Queen please."

Jharm nods and turns around and spots a strange creature attempting to sneak down the hallway and about to reach the Queen's door. It would seem to be the strange snowman from a few nights ago and he suddenly realizes that the guard spotted him, his eyes growing big as he motions with his little stick hands to be quiet. Jharm approaches the little figure and kneels down, speaking to him softly.

"What might you be up to...Olaf I believe it is? You seem a little sneaky right now."

"um...Anna gave me a special mission to watch over her sister and give her warm hugs but no one's supposed to see me."

It is evident to the guard that the snowman seems a little upset at possibly failing the "special mission" the princess gave him and feeling that the Queen could probably benefit from having the little guy around her Jharm chuckles lightly and pats Olaf on the shoulder (well...as far as he can discern a shoulder).

"Worry not, I won't blow your special mission, besides sounds like the Queen could use you right now, go on in. I won't tell anyone."

He then reaches up and pops the door open slightly as the snowman bounces up and down, a big grin on his face as he giggles at the good news. Jharm steps out-of-the-way letting the snowman enter the room. He then retook his position near the door.

"Olaf? What are you doing here?"

"Hi Elsa! Anna gave me a super special mission."

"Oh really, and what would that be?"

"She asked me to keep an eye on you, and to give you warm hugs if you need them. Do you need any?"

"Come to think of it, that is exactly what I need."

Jharm smiles and gently pulls the door shut, trying to keep it from clicking so as not to interrupt the two friends. The Queen notices the door shut though and looks down at Olaf.

"Olaf...did anyone see you?"

A brief look of sadness spreads across the snowmans face. He was specifically instructed by both sisters that he wasnt supposed to be seen by anyone yet.

"Yes, there was a man outside the door that saw me but he seems super nice! He promised not to tell anyone so as not to spoil my super special mission. I think I saw him when we had dinner before too, he was nice then too!"

The Queen glances up at the door thinking of who Olaf could be talking about. Then she recalled her request to Kai last night about a certain guard.

_Jharm...of course...he's probably been outside this whole time watching the door._

"You say he was super nice to you?"

"Yeppers, he even suggested that it was good I showed up when I did, said you could probably use a hug right about now."

The Queen glances at the door upon hearing this, a slight smile showing on her face. She then glances up at the time.

"Oh my, I need to hurry, I am to hold court soon! Olaf, if you think you can be super sneaky again you can wait for me by the side entrance to the throne room ok?"

The snowman's face lit up at the idea of continuing his mission from Anna.

"Okie-dokie Elsa, I'll be there!"

He then turns to hurry out the door but not realizing that it was closed promptly walks into it, half of his carrot nose popping out the back of his head.

"Oh head-rush! Woah!"

Elsa can't help but laugh at her creations antics as the door slowly opens and the snowman shuffles out into the hall. She releases a sigh as she cleans up her desk and preparers herself for the next few hours.

Jharm suddenly hears a soft thunk against the door followed by a familiar voice.

"Oh head-rush! Woah!"

Jharm laughs a little as he realizes the little snowman has probably run into the door, not realizing that the guard had closed it. He glances up and down the hallway to see if anyone is around, it would be a safe bet that the Queen probably doesn't want everyone to know about the magical snowman just yet. Once he is certain its clear he reaches over, popping the door open allowing Olaf to stumble out, his nose pushed halfway through his face.

"Hold up there little guy, let's get that fixed for ya quick."

The guard kneels down and pushes the back of the carrot back through Olaf's face, the snowmans eyes getting big for a moment.

"Thanks for that, I gotta go find a hiding spot near the throne room to wait for Elsa now!"

Jharm smiles and puts a finger to his lips to gesture to the snowman to be quiet and then motions him away. As Olaf bounces down the hall and then catches himself and attempts a more...stealthy approach Jharm hears the door open again and Queen Elsa steps out. Snapping to attention he bows.

"Your Majesty."

Elsa stops in front of Jharm and leans closer to him.

"Thank you for that by the way, and I appreciate your...secrecy towards his mission. Now off to the throne room."

Jharm gestures for the Queen to lead the way and he follows from a respectable distance. He stands a short distance behind her throne during the entire period as a multitude of vistiors present themselves for everything ranging from the issue of harvests due to the recent freeze to a dignitary from Russia giving Elsa a set of furs from the pelt of a white bear. With a simple look towards Kai she signaled she was done for the day as the servant stepped forward.

"That will be all for today. Her Majesty would like to bid you all a good evening. All bow for Queen Elsa of Arendelle."

Elsa stood and turned to head towards the side entrance of the room, Jharm moving in front of her to open the door for her. Elsa nodded at him but stopped from going through the door.

"Thank you Jharm, please take the rest of the night off. Once again thank you for your...secrecy."

The guard bowed to the Queen, both in regards to the dismissal and the thanks.

"As you wish my Queen."

Once the queen had exited the room and Kai following shortly after, Jharm closes the door and moves out of the castle towards the barracks to relax for a while before calling it a night, feeling that with Kai and Olaf around her Elsa should be fine.

As Elsa sank down onto the nearest bench and releasing an exhausted sigh. Kai stops in front of her.

"Your father would have been so proud."

Elsa smiles up at the faithful family servant, the praise meaning the world to her. Then from behind a velvet curtain she hears a familiar voice.

"Psst, Psst! Elsa? Is the coast clear?"

A small chuckle escapes the queen's lips.

"Yes, Olaf, you can come out now."

From behind the curtain Olaf steps out and bounds over to the tired queen, scrambling up onto the bench and plopping down next to Elsa, snuggling up next to her. He then looks around a moment quizzically.

"Hey Elsa...where's the nice man who was outside your door earlier? He seems to follow you around a lot."

"He is one of the guards, he works to make sure im safe from harm. I gave him the rest of the night off."

Olaf looks a little confused at hearing this.

"Keeping you safe from harm? Who would want to harm you Elsa, your the nicest, warmest, gentlest person ever!"

Elsa smiles at the amazing compliment and ponders for a little while how to answer his question.

"Olaf...there are bad people in this world, bad people who do bad things. People like Jharm work to keep them from doing bad things to people like me and Anna."

The snowman still has a slightly confused look on his face, not fully being able to comprehend the concept of evil men in the world but then brightens up.

"Well I dont really get it but if it means your safe then he's good to me! He fixed my nose earlier too! It all went POOF through my head when I hit the door but then he pushed it back out for me."

Both Olaf and Elsa giggle thinking about it.

"Olaf, I was thinking of taking a walk through the palace gardens before dinner, would you like to accompany me?"

"Sure! I can guard you too!"

The little snowman then starts walking off down the hall attempting to mimic the marching appearance of one of the Royal Guards. Elsa can't help but burst out laughing at how serious her creation looks right now.

"Wait Olaf, thats the wrong way, the gardens are this way."

As the sun is beginning to set, a lone figure can be seen riding down one of the roads leading into Arendelle. He pulls his hat further down his head as he enters the town, hoping no one will recognize him, unsure as to what kind of response he might get. As he nears the bridge leading to the castle he falters though, bringing the horse to a stop as he gazes upon the familiar walls.

_Castle Arendelle...its been 3 years since I've seen it last._

His mind wanders back to all the events that have happened since he was here last. For a brief moment he contemplates turning around and fleeing back to his cottage but then reaches into his pocket and pulls out the letter from the Queen. Reading the words within, almost as if to confirm that it is real and not just another twisted nightmare of his own making, the man puts the letter back in his pocket and rides up to the gates. One of the guards at the gate waves the man down as he walks up to the horse.

"Good evening sir, may I ask your reason for entering the castle at such a late hour?"

Pulling his cloak around him and his hat further down, Vildayvin thinks for a moment about what he should say.

"I have received a summons from the Queen, I believe Kai should be expecting me."

At hearing the servants name being used specifically, the guard looks at his companion and both shrug. The guard turns back to Vildayvin.

"Ok, you may enter. Josper, go with him and see if you can find Kai."

The other guard nods as he walks the horse into the courtyard and up towards the entrance to the palace. He then motions to the man on the horse.

"Please remain here until I can find Kai."

Vildayvin nods and remains on his horse as the guard moves off into the palace. He gazes around at the familiar grounds, recalling so many memories of his past spent here. He notices though that it seems as if the guard presence isnt anything near what it used to be which seems strange but then again he may just not be spotting them with his weary eyes. The man is deep in thought when the guard returns with the portly manservant in tow.

"Kai, this gentleman says he was summoned by the Queen and needed to speak with you."

Vildayvin reaches into his pocket and pulls out the crumpled letter, handing it to Kai. The servants eyes grow slightly bigger as he instantly recognizes the letter and realizes that it is Vildayvin in front of him.

"Ah yes, could one of you please see to the man's horse? You may follow me sir."

Vildayvin dismounts and follows Kai into the palace. The two walk for a few moments before Kai speaks up.

"It has been a long time since you were here my friend. I do not intend to pry or anything but you have been sorely missed. Due to the late hour you won't be able to see Queen Elsa right now, here is your room. I will come get you once the Queen is available tomorrow."

The retired guard nods beneath his hat.

"Thank you Kai...you were always dependable. I will see you in the morning."


	5. Changing of the Guard

Deciding to get a good jump on the day, Jharm wakes up early and after freshening up gets dressed in his Guard outfit. Before heading out he passes by one of the other guards he is good friends with.

"Morning Josper, how was gate duty last night?"

"Pretty slow, nothing really happened. A stranger showed up almost at nightfall with a summons from the Queen. Took him to Kai who took him into the palace, nothing much other then that.

_Visitors that late at night? Strange...eh, not my place to question the actions of the Queen._

"Well have yourself a good morning and sleep well."

"Thanks"

He then turns and heads out across the courtyard and up into the palace. Keeping an eye out for Kai in case his orders have changed he wanders the halls. Not seeing any sign of the servant he figures the man must still be asleep.

_Poor man could do with some sleep, he has to be running himself ragged handling both the servants and the guards and anything else Queen Elsa might need him for. I doubt her Majesty is awake at this hour anyways._

As he reaches the hallway where the Queen's study is at he stops as he swear he hears what sounds like shouts in the distance. Before he can even react the doors for Elsa's study burst open and Elsa takes off down the hallway, small patches of frost showing up behind her as she runs.

_The Princess!_

Taking off after the Queen he rounds the corner to see Elsa a short distance away from the royal bedchambers and Anna collapsed in front of the Queens bedroom.

"Elsa, are you hurting yourself? I heard what you said in your sleep, you said you wanted to...that you tried to...Elsa please don't! I need my sister, don't leave me again! If it's because you are afraid you might hurt me...I promise I will leave you alone, I will do anything you want, just _please_ don't die!."

The guard's eyes grow wide as he remembers two nights ago outside the Princess' bedroom and what he had accidentally overheard.

_Oh no..._

He comes back to the present in time to see Elsa comforting a panic-stricken Anna. Fear overtakes him as he struggles to decide what to do.

_I should help...but then the Queen will realize I know...but I can't leave them...I-_

His hesitation causes him to take too long for the Queen glances up from Anna at that moment and spots the guard a short distance down the hallway, a panic-stricken look on his face. A brief look of surprise shows on her face but then she returns to caring for her sister. After a few moments of speaking to Anna, she stand up, her little sister latched onto her dress. She motions with her head towards the doors leading to the library near Jharm. The guard quickly moves towards them and opens them up, allowing the sisters to enter before shutting the doors behind them. He then anxiously paces back and forth in front of the door, thoughts racing through his mind.

_What is she going to do to me? She knows that I know now...I doubt she is going to like that...how is it I always manage to be in the wrong place at the wrong time lately?_

After a few moments the door opens up and the Queen sticks her head out.

"Fetch me the physician at once!"

She then moves as if to close the door but then stops herself.

"At some point today I think it would be best if we have a talk Jharm."

"As - as you wish your Majesty."

He then takes off down the hall towards the physician's quarters. Banging on her door (undoubtedly waking the woman up) he almost pulls her out of the room once she opens the door.

"You are needed at once in the library...the Princess is injured."

"Alright give me just one moment to get decent."

Once she was dressed and had her bag in hand, the two hurried back down the hallways to the library, Jharm opening the door and shutting it behind the physician. After about 20 minutes, Gerda came down the hallway, headed towards the bedchambers, undoubtedly intending to wake the royal sisters for breakfast. The guard stops her and gestures towards the library doors.

"They are both in there...there was a small...incident earlier. The Princess is being seen to by the physician."

"Oh dear, I hope she is ok."

Opening the door the female servant rushes in, closing the door behind her. A few more minutes pass before the physician leaves and Gerda follows close behind.

"It would seem Queen Elsa and Princess Anna will be having their breakfast in the Queen's study. I was asked to pass along to you that the Queen would like to speak to you outside her study once the Princess is settled in."

"Thank you Gerda."

He heads down the hallway and comes to a stop outside Elsa's study, and takes his position as he awaits the sisters arrival. Shortly after the two come around the corner, Elsa supporting Anna, who now had a sling on her arm. The Queen looked up to see the guard standing by the door and their eyes made contact. Jharm turned and opened the door allowing the sisters to enter. After a minute or two Elsa exited the room, softly closing the door before looking at Jharm.

"I apologize for you having to hear that...I am certain that is not something you would normally expect to learn about while performing your duties."

Jharm looks at his Queen, a look of sadness clear on his face.

"Your Majesty, I can not deceive you any longer."

Elsa raises an eyebrow at the statement and Jharm takes a deep breath as he prepares himself for what he is about to say.

"I already knew...I was guarding your chambers the night after the Great Thaw. I heard you screaming and then I heard Princess Anna trying to comfort you. Then I heard you say...well I heard the same thing she did."

The Queen's eyes grow slightly larger at hearing this.

"I apologize my Queen! I did not intend to eavesdrop, I was simply concerned for your safety due to the screaming and...before I knew what was happening I heard it all."

Elsa stands in silence for a moment as she processes what she just learned.

"Have you told anyone about what you heard?"

"No, not another living soul. If it wasn't for what just happened I had fully hoped to take what I had learned to my grave."

The Queen nods as if she accepts his statement.

"I thank you for your honesty in this matter, it means a lot to me. I have some meetings a little later so if you could please find Kai I believe he has somethings he could use your help with, for a short while.

Jharm bows and moves down the hallway to find the servant. Eventually he finds the man on his way back from the guest rooms, stepping up next to him as the two continue walking down the hallway.

"Ah Jharm, I figured you would be looking for me soon. I am assuming the Queen let you know about your temporary re-assignment?"

"That she did, where am I needed sir?"

"Actually...you will be accompanying me for the time being. Timing being important and what-not I do not want to try and track you down. That reminds me..."

He stops next to one of the servants who is dusting a picture, taking the duster from his hand.

"Would you please let the guest in room one know that the Queen will speak with them in a short while and then escort them to the waiting room outside her Majesty's study? Please do not question his attire, the Queen is aware of what he is wearing and has no issue with it."

The servant nods and takes off down the hallway to do as Kai requested.

"What was all that about? I didn't even realize we had a guest in room one at this time."

"He showed up last night. Do not fret, everything will be explained in due time I feel. Now, let us down to the banquet area, there is still much work to be done to get ready for the Princess' celebration."

"You know, it's funny...I had the same idea."

Elsa could tell that her sister was surprised that she had so readily accepted her idea. A knock at the study door interrupted them though.

"Yes?"

"Your um...visitor is here to speak with you Your Majesty."

"Ah, yes. Anna I need you to do me a really big favor. Could you please wait out in the hall for just a few minutes? I would like to speak to the gentleman for a few moments alone ok?"

Anna opens her mouth, about to argue but she notices the look in her sisters eyes begging her to please do it.

"Ok Elsa, but don't take too long, please?"

With the recent events Elsa fully hoped it wouldn't take long, she didn't want to leave Anna alone but with the current circumstance felt it was the only option.

"Of course Anna, only a few moments I promise."

Elsa stands up and helps Anna to her feet and the two exchange a hug and then Anna steps out into the hall. Upon exiting the room she see's one of the palace servants standing with a man behind him with a

heavy cloak around him and a hat hiding his face from view.

"Please send him in."

The servant opens the door and gestures for the man to enter, and then enters the room and grabs a chair for the Princess to sit on.

The man walks into the room and sees the Queen sitting behind her desk, her face showing no sign of emotions. Once the servant has left the room and closed the door she gestures to the chair on the opposite side of the desk from her.

"Please, have a seat, I think you can dispense with the cloak and hat."

Removing the outer clothing Vildayvin slowly sits down in the chair, unsure of what to expect next.

"First I would like to thank you for accepting the invitation Mr. Devaron. I am sure it was not something you were expecting to get and I hope the suddenness didn't inconvenience you at all.

"No Your Majesty, there was no inconvenience at all."

"I am glad to hear that. Now I am sure you are wondering why I have requested your presence here. Until recently I was not even aware you were still alive, all that my sister and I had been told was that our parents were lost at sea along with all hands on board. As such you can imagine my shock to discover the man who guarded my mother and father for so many years and was on that fateful ship survived the experience but left Arendelle shorter after returning."

As Elsa speaks she can see that Vildayvin is worrying about the direction she is going, as he almost seems to shrink into the chair slightly. She is surprised at the physical changes in the man since she had seen him last. It was the day of her parents ship departure and he was, as usual, standing near them. Large, heavily built, piercing gray eyes staring down at you, thoroughly intimidating to those who didn't know him, in short a perfect bodyguard for the king. What sat before her though was a shadow of that man. He still had the large form but much of the muscle was gone, his skin drawn and eyes having lost much of their shine. She stands up and walks around the desk, pulling a chair closer to the man before sitting down again.

"Mr. Devaron...Vildayvin...I can see that you suffer greatly. My father trusted you more than almost anyone I know, you were one of the few people who knew of my abilities. I must know...what happened that night. Please...tell me."

Vildayvin looks up, his sad grey eyes connecting with the Queen's bright blue ones as memories flooded back into his mind.

"Waves...waves crashing against the boat. Wind and lightning tearing through the sky. We had sailed headlong into the middle of a storm. At first your father wasn't too worried, but as things got worse he realized it wasn't some small storm we had sailed into, it was a storm of major proportions. I think it was at that point he started to doubt if we would make it safely home. He still managed to keep up the appearance that we would be ok, only revealing his fears behind closed doors to me. Night came and it got even worse...monstrous waves, almost literally, knocking the ship around, our sails were starting to get damaged from the horrendous winds. Your father called me into his cabin with his wife."

The nightmare that Vildayvin frequently recalls springs into his mind, his eyes growing big as he seems to return to that very moment in time once again. Elsa watches as the man seems to lose his hold on reality and he starts talking as if the King is before him at that very moment and they are back on the boat, his voice changing in pitch as if the King is speaking through him.

"Promise me you will protect them for us Vil! Swear to me that if you survive you will protect them like you protected me!"

"Your Majesty, I will see that you survive! I swore that I would protect you!"

"Vildayvin please, I fear that we will not survive this. We both know how tough and strong you are. If anyone has a chance to somehow survive this, its you. I must know that my daughters will have someone who will protect and watch over them for me! Please swear that should you live through this will you be there for them!"

"My king, I swear to you that I will do as you wish! I will not fail you!"

Then the man gazes up at the ceiling as his eyes grow even bigger as if he sees something horrifying.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

He falls out of the chair as if he wants to escape from something but then starts sobbing.

"I'm sorry my King. I failed you, I failed my oath to you. I swore that I would protect your daughters but I couldn't. I couldn't even protect my own son against myself."

Upon hearing this Elsa thinks back to when she was talking to Jharm and he mentioned about an accident and touched the scar on his face. She moved towards the sobbing man, gently placing a hand on his shoulder. Feeling the touch he looks up, seeing the Queen's face through tear streaked eyes.

"I am so sorry Your Majesty. I wasn't able to protect your father, I failed in bringing him safely home. I tried to honor my final oath to him, I really did."

Elsa kneels down and pulls gently on his arm, attempting to coax him to his feet. After a few seconds he manages to stand up and sit back in the chair. Sitting down next to him once more Elsa looks at him with sadness in her eyes.

"Please, continue if you can...what happened? Why did you suddenly flee?"

The man wipes tears from his eyes with the back of his hand as he returns to the present once more.

"I was training with my son...we trained with real weapons most of the time, you train with fake blades you don't learn the real weight and balance properly. I...swung at him and...instead of pulling my blow like I normally would have I faltered as I was overcome by a flashback. I almost killed my son by slashing his face open. It was at that point I knew I was no longer safe to be around...certainly not for someone like you or your sister to rely on for any kind of protection. I came by the next day and gave my resignation to Kai and ran, the only thing I felt I could do...ran away to be on my own so then I wouldn't possibly hurt anyone."

The Queen nods slowly as she only recently did almost the same thing, freezing Arendelle in the process. She stands up and fetches a napkin from the breakfast tray her and Anna were using and hands it to the man to dry his eyes and then heads for the door, opening it slightly to speak with the servant outside.

"Could you please let Kai know to bring him to my study as soon as possible and let Anna know she can come back in."

She then turns and walks back over to Vildayvin.

"Mr Devaron, I appreciate you opening up to me like that. It has answered many questions I have had recently. I feel it is time to speak with you about the other reason I requested your presence here."

She looks up as the door opens and Anna walks in.

"Everything ok in here Elsa? I thought I heard a scream or something. Kai is outside as well."

"Yes, everything is ok, please tell Kai to have his companion wait just outside."

Anna nods and passes the message to the men outside the door and then sits down on a nearby chair. Elsa stands up and walks behind her desk, pulling a few papers out of her one desk drawer. She then gestures towards Vildayvin as she speaks.

"Anna, this is Vildayvin Devaron. He is the man who used to guard Mama and Papa."

The Princess eyes light up a little.

"Oh, I remember you...you were the big man always behind them trying to look scary but I knew you weren't! You were like a big cuddly teddy bear!"

Anna stops her rant suddenly as a thought pops into her head.

"Werent you on the boat -"

Elsa raises a hand, silencing her sister before she can finish the question, not wanting to possibly risk triggering another flashback for the man.

"I will explain it all to you a little later OK? We need to get these next two things taken care of quickly so that you and I are able to get back to what we were doing."

Anna nods, a smile coming across her face at the idea of talking more about the party and going to the ice palace. Elsa returns the smile and folds her hands in front of her.

"Now that we have everyone present I feel we can continue properly."

She returns her gaze to Vildayvin who has since regained his composure and seems to have almost regained some of his former presence after revealing everything to the Queen, and the compliments from Anna undoubtedly bolstered his spirits as well.

"I requested your presence here because due to recent events I find Arendelle without a capable Captain of the Guard. It is evident you still wish to serve Arendelle and your oath to my father, therefore I would like you to take the position."

The man looks up at the Queen, surprise and shock clear on his face.

"You...you want me...as your Captain?"

"Yes...I need someone who I can trust and I feel your past service has proven such."

Vildayvin stands up and walks over to a picture of the King on the wall. He seems to momentarily fade into one of his memories as he contemplates what is being offered to him. Slowly his hands raises until it rests over his heart as he recalls his oaths to the man in the picture. Now his daughter is giving him a chance to continue that oath. He turns back towards Elsa and walks over to the desk

"Your Majesty, I accept your gracious offer."

The Queen smiles at him and nods, reaching down to pick up the ice blue quill her sister bought for her, dipping it into an ink well and signing one of the papers she recently pulled from the drawer.

"I am glad to hear it, that does however officially leave another spot open that needs filled. Kai, please let him in."

The door opens as Vildayvin turns and sees Jharm walk in, both men staring at each other in surprise.

"Father? What...how?"

Elsa raises a hand to stop any further questions.

"Jharm, after our conversation yesterday I decided to do my own research. I managed to track your father down and desired to speak with him. Thankfully he accepted my invitation. He has also just accepted the position of Captain of the Guard. This leads me to the other position that needs filled."

She gestures to Jharm to move to the area in front of the desk, he obeys though one can tell he is still slightly shocked and confused at what is going on.

"The position of Sentinel is one of extreme honor and trust. It was one of the first things my father taught me about during our lessons. Your father was Sentinel to my father for many years. Now with him taking the position as Captain of the Guard, that leaves Arendelle without a Sentinel."

Jharm's eyes get slightly bigger as a thought pops into his head as to where the Queen is going with this.

"With the recent events that have happened, I have realized that unfortunately there are those within the

Guard who have failed to uphold the oath sworn to Arendelle. Jharm, you have proven that there are still those who live the oath ever minute of every day. I know how vital you were to safeguarding the true interests of Arendelle during the sudden freeze and the events leading to the Great Thaw. Without your assistance I feel that I would not be here now and Arendelle would be in the hands of a very bad man. With that being said...Jharm Devaron, I appoint you as Sentinel of Arendelle, will you accept this position?"

The look of utter shock on Jharm's face bring a snicker from Anna, followed by a quick glance from her sister silencing her. Vildayvin places a hand on his son's shoulder, causing Jharm to look over at him. He sees a massive smile on his fathers face, something that hasn't been there in so very long, and the man is almost beaming with pride. Looking back at Elsa he thumps his fist over his heart and bows to her.

"My Queen...I accept the position of Sentinel. I will work tirelessly to protect you and the Princess and all of Arendelle."

Elsa nods again and scrawls a signature on the second sheet of paper.

"Kai, please come in here."

The servant enters and walks up beside the desk, accepting the parchment handed to him.

"Please see that these decree's are announced for all to hear and that the Guard especially is aware of the official change in leadership. If you could also please see to preparing one of the bedchambers for Jharm to take and the Captain's quarters for Vildayvin, and that anything he needs brought from his home is transported here."

The man nods and hurries out the door to take care of Elsa's requests.

"There is only one thing left to do then."

Elsa brings her hands together up in front of her. After a brief glow of light she opens her hands and picks up a silver ring. Etched into the ring is alternating symbols of a snowflake and the official crest of Arendelle. She gestures for Jharm's right hand, sliding the ring on to his right index finger.

"Let this be a sign of your position as Sentinel. As the Sentinel, let no one hinder or impede your movements, for you shall work tirelessly for safety of both Crown and Kingdom. Now that is done, if you gentlemen would excuse us, my sister and I should get back to what we were doing. If either of you need any equipment or anything for your new positions let the armory know and you will have it."

"By order of Queen Elsa of Arendelle, Vildayvin Devaron is hereby declared Captain of the Royal Guard. He is hereby granted the power and status such rank deserves. Glory to Arendelle!"

Kai then pulls out the second sheet and begins to read it, town criers already moving to different parts of the city to read the same messages.

"By order of Queen Elsa of Arendelle, Jharm Devaron is hereby declared Sentinel of the Crown. He is hereby granted the power and status such rank deserves. Glory to Arendelle!"

Murmurs rise from the surrounding crowd as the citizens talk among themselves at the news.

"A new Captain AND a Sentinel?"

"Does the Queen really need a Sentinel? She has her magic."


	6. Taking care of loose ends

"Your Majesty, I am not sure I am fond of the idea."

Jharm looked out the doors onto the balcony as he spoke to Elsa, watching as his father formed up the Royal Guards down in the courtyard. The Queen glances to her left at her newly appointed Sentinel. Princess Anna showing a slight look of concern as the two talk about her idea of visiting the ice palace.

"I understand your concern Jharm, but I feel this is something I would like to do with only the people I have stated. It will be an excellent chance for Anna and myself to have some time together...and in regards to Mr. Bjorgman-"

Anna interrupts the conversation at that exact moment.

"Kristoff!"

"Of course...Kristoff. His last visit to the palace was...disrupted and seeing as how I owe him so much it is the least I can do to bring him with us. He did save my sister after all."

"My apologies Queen Elsa, I did not mean to infer that I doubted the mans loyalty or honor. I simply am not too keen on the idea of one man, untrained and untested in combat being all that stands between yourself and the Princess and a possible adversary. With the snow gone I am sure most of the wild creatures of the mountains will have returned to their normal grounds."

The Queen raises a hand to stop the man.

"While you do raise valid concerns, I still request that you remain here. I am sure your father could use the assistance to get things straightened out here, and I am certain the two of you have some things you would like to talk about...I believe you mentioned its been 3 years since you've seen him last."

Elsa glances at Jharm, a small smile showing on her face as the man chuckles slightly. Down in the courtyard it would appear that Vildayvin has gotten the Guard fully assembled and ready, Jharm reaches for the door but pauses for a second.

"You expertly demonstrate your wisdom once again my Queen. While I still am hesitant I can not argue with what you have said, therefore I can only respond with...as you wish."

At saying that he opens the door, allowing the Queen and Princess to step out onto the balcony before he follows, remaining a step behind the royal sisters. Just like her previous appearance on the balcony, Elsa's ice crown manages to catch the rays of the sun, radiating beams of multi-colored light around her. Down in the courtyard the entire contingent of Royal Guards stands in formation and at attention, Vildayvin a few steps in front of the formation, everyone facing towards the balcony Elsa is on. She looks down at Vildayvin and nods, signaling he can begin. With a bow he performs an about-face, turning to face the soldiers behind him.

"PARADE-REST!"

With military precision the men perform the command. Vildayvin begins to walk up and down in front of the formation as he speaks.

"I am certain most of you know who I am. There are many of you who I served with before. I am also certain most of you know of my sudden...departure from the ranks. I will squash any rumors or stories about the reasons behind it right now! Yes, I accompanied the late King and Queen on their sea voyage...yes I was the only survivor of that tragic night! I didn't return the same man I was when I left, and for the safety of everyone I decided it would be best if I left. Through the amazing kindness of Queen Elsa I have been granted a second chance to serve Arendelle and the Crown as her Captain of the Guard."

He stops and faces the formation, standing at the front-center of the group.

"With that stated, I have been filled in on what transpired during the Great Freeze. There was much confusion and misinformation that occurred. However it would seem that some loyalties faltered or became misplaced. This shall never happen again! If you feel that you can not uphold the oath you swore when you joined the ranks of the Royal Guard please step out of formation and off to the side immediately! You will be discharged honorably and nothing more will be said against you. I will not have it said any man was forced to serve against his choice!"

The area goes quiet as a few seconds pass. Four men work their way out of the formation and move off to the side, not a single word or sound being heard.

"Is there anyone else?"

No one else moves, the elder Devaron nods his head before turning to the men who had stepped out.

"I ask that you please remain here after we finish, I will see that you get your papers and everything. I do appreciate your honesty and integrity."

He then turns back towards the formation.

"With that being taken care of, I believe it is time to re-affirm our sworn oaths to Crown and Country, here in front of our radiant Queen! Formation...TEN-HUT!"

The entire formation snaps to attention in one swift motion.

"Raise your right hand and repeat after me!" (The entire formation follows the commands)

"I...[state your name]...do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the country of Arendelle against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of Her Majesty, Queen Elsa and serve to ensure the safety of the Royal Family. So help me God."

He then performs an about-face towards the Queen, thumping his chest over his heart and bowing to her, the entire formation performing the same action at the same time.

"Long live Queen Elsa!" (repeated by the formation)

He then about-faces again, looking over the men under his command.

"Formation-fall out!"

The formation takes a step back, all at the same time, and then disperses back to their posts or to the barracks. Vildayvin waves a nearby servant over who carries a parchment with him. The two then walk over to the four men, Vildayvin speaking to each one and then talking to the servant who hastily scribbles names down so the necessary paperwork can be completed to release the men from duty. Jharm turns and opens the door once more, allowing Elsa and Anna to go back inside as Anna releases a small yawn.

"That seemed kinda boring, are we going to go to the ice palace now?"

Elsa gave her sister a slight glare.

"Anna!"

She looks at Jharm with an apologetic look, Jharm nodding his head slightly showing that he understood.

"I apologize your Highness, while it may have seemed overly dramatic and showy, it was done for a reason. The Oath of Allegiance, taken when entering the Royal Guards, is of vital importance especially to one such as my father. The Royal Guards are responsible for the security and safety of the Royal Family, namely yourself and Queen Elsa and such am important duty requires loyalty, trust, and honor.

The Oath is a Guards way of saying they swear to uphold these values. Recent events brought some doubt upon the Royal Guards and those who were not upholding the Oath. My father and I both feel that this doubt must be removed to ensure the safety of Arendelle and the both of you.

Anna seems to think about what the man said, her thoughts going to Prince Hans, before she forced any thoughts about the vile man from her mind.

"Okay, I guess that makes sense...though still seems awfully showy to me.

The Queen rolls her eyes and shakes her head at the antics of her little sister.

"Anna your impossible at times! Now lets go and find Olaf, we need to hurry up if we want to reach the ice palace."

Hearing this a big smile appeared on Anna's face as she dashed off down the hall as she went to find the magical little snowman, Elsa following a short distance behind but then she stops and turns to Jharm.

"Make it quick Sentinel, and no scaring the poor guy."

The man chuckles slightly as he bows.

"I promise my Queen, only slight bruises and bumps...no broken bones."

Elsa smiles and rolls her eyes and hurries after Anna. Jharm turns and heads downstairs and out into the courtyard towards the stables, his father meeting him about halfway between.

"Where are you headed Jharm?"

"Stables...I would like to speak with Mr. Bjorgman before he goes up to the ice palace with her Majesty and the Princess."

"Really? Hmm...as Captain of the Guard I believe it would be in the best interest of safety if I meet the man as well."

"That will be fine, but I promised the Queen only bruises and bumps, no broken bones allowed."

The elder Devaron laughs loudly and thumps his son on the back as the two head for the stables where Kristoff is currently at caring for Sven, his shirt taken off as he is working with leather soap. He turns as he hears someone enter, seeing two large, and intimidating men enter wearing Royal Guard attire, hands at their sides as they march in with serious looks on their faces. He recognizes the one man as the guard who was outside the dining hall the past few nights but doesn't recall seeing the other man before. The resemblance between the two is uncanny though. The two men stop a short distance away from the ice-harvester.

"Um...hi. Something I can do for you guys?"

Jharm is the first one to speak, his voice maintaining a very deadpan tone.

"Greetings...Mr. Bjorgman I believe it is?"

"Uh...yeah...you can also call me Kristoff."

The Sentinel seems to ignore the man's comment.

"Mr. Bjorgman, you have accompanied the Princess around a lot lately, we would like to speak to you about that. We felt it was not in the best interest of her safety to let such activities continue until we had a chance to speak with you...privately.

Kristoff looks around, slightly nervous as he is almost cornered by the two men, Sven looking between the three with a very confused look on his face. Jharm continues giving a steely eyed glare as Vildayvin speaks up.

"The Sentinel and myself would like to inquire about your past and how you came to...meet Princess Anna."

"The...Sentinel?"

He glances at Jharm, eyes a little wide, even though he does not normally reside in Arendelle he knows what that title means, as well as hearing the recent proclamations.

"Yes...and this is the Captain of the Guard."

_Oh jeez...im being interrogated by The Sentinel AND the Captain of the Guard? What are they going to do? Did the Queen tell them to do this? They won't do anything...Anna would be furious...I think._

The two men can see the nervous look on the man's face but continue with their current demeanor. Jharm speaks up once again.

"Please...proceed with enlightening us as to how you got here."

"Um...well ya see...it was like this...I was just trying to get some carrots for my buddy here and some climbing gear. The shopkeeper tried to cheat me, I said the wrong thing and got thrown out. Next thing I know Anna...PRINCESS Anna shows up asking me to take her to the North Mountain and clobbers me with a bag holding the stuff I had tried to buy. She said she knew how to end the winter, and of course a sudden winter in the middle of summer is big trouble for an ice-harvester like myself. I agreed to take her and we headed off...after she pummeled me with some carrots for Sven demanding we leave at once that is..."

He chuckles slightly but chokes it back as the faces of the men in front of him remain plain as stone.

"um...anyways, so we headed off on my sled. We wind up getting attacked by a pack of wolves before we reached a gully, I tossed her onto Sven and we managed to leap over the gorge...though my sled crashed at the bottom. She promised to replace the sled and said she would understand if I didn't want to help anymore. As a gentleman (no sign of reaction from the Devaron's) I couldn't just leave her alone, so we continued on towards the top of the mountain. Eventually we reach the Queen's ice palace, she asked me to wait outside for a while so I did. I go in after a while and Anna is on the floor, looking like she is in pain...

_Wait...should I tell them about the giant snowman? Do they even know about Olaf...will they think I'm crazy?!_

Both of the Devaron's notice the man suddenly stopped talking. Vildayvin speaks up first.

"She was in pain? From what? Continue please..."

"Yeah...I don't know what happened but I think Elsa...Her Majesty I mean, struck her accidentally. Anna refused to leave her behind and then the Queen made this giant snowman appear who grabbed us and hauled us outside."

The two soldiers look at each other with looks as if to say "This guy must be crazy". Kristoff continues anyways and they do not try to stop him.

"He throws us out and then chases after us..after the Princess pegged him with a snowball that is. We get away from him and I noticed her hair was turning white, so I took her to my...friends."

Jharm raises an eyebrow.

"Friends? Who were these friends?"

"They have experience with magic lets just say. Anyways, so I take her to them, come to find out her heart has been frozen and only an act of true love can save her. She had told me earlier about her true love Hans so I put her on Sven and we rushed her back here so Hans could save her. Sven and I went to leave Arendelle but then we saw the big storm hit. I knew Anna was in danger so I rushed back to try and save her. I reached her just as she..."

The two can tell that the thought of what happened next bothers the man.

"Just as she sacrificed herself to save Elsa from the Prince."

The three stand in silence for a moment or two before Jharm speaks up.

"So in short you are saying you attempted to save Princess Anna from certain death by bringing her back to Arendelle to be with her true love?"

"Well...yeah...but apparently he wasn't her true love since he abandoned her and she...froze herself to save her sister!"

The two men glance at each other again.

"Well Captain? Do you think Mr. Bjorgman is being honest with us?"

"I don't know Sentinel...I think we might need to "work him over" a bit to make certain."

The two men glare at the ice-harvester for a few seconds before they both burst out laughing. Kristoff looks between them, a look of confusion on his face. Jharm speaks up, stifling his laughter to talk.

"Pardon the theatrics Kristoff...as the ones personally responsible for the safety of Her Majesty and Princess Anna we felt it was quite important to meet you. You must understand that while both ladies might trust you quite a bit, we have not had the...luxury to know firsthand all of what happened during the freeze. We felt a more...intimidating approach would get us needed answers."

Vildayvin interrupts his son at this point with a hand on his shoulder, his face returning to a more serious state.

"As well as drive home the point that while you do seem a very trustworthy and honest man, and you seem to care quite strongly about the Princess from what my son tells me...if you should hurt either of them in any way, you will have two very...VERY displeased men after you."

"Calm down there Father, I believe he gets the point and we don't want to scare the poor guy off. Otherwise I am sure that Her Majesty will be VERY displeased with us."

Both men nod at each other and clap Kristoff on the shoulders, their gloves slapping against his bare skin causing the man to wince slightly. Jharm smiles at the man.

"Thank you for your time and honesty Kristoff, we will leave you alone now. I do ask that you please do not tell the Princess about our talk. I would not want her to think we are trying to actually scare you away or anything, we simply want to make sure her and Queen Elsa are in safe hands today."

The ice-harvester gives a confused look as to what the man could mean.

_Today? What could he mean by that?_

The two Devarons then turn and leave the stables, stopping a short distance away to discuss where they would be headed next, turning to watch as Princess Anna went running past them and into the stables and stopping just as she entered the dooorway, no doubt seeing the bare-chested man. The two guards laugh slightly as they can imagine the conversation that must be going on inside, Jharm spotting the Queen walking the same direction. As she draws close the two bow to her and Jharm's eyes meet the Queens, her eyebrow raising as if to ask how their little talk went. The Sentinel simply bowed again and gestured towards the stables as if giving his approval. Elsa returning the gesture with a smile and a nod. She then headed into the barn and the two men looked at each other and laughed slightly as she quickly stepped outside, giggling slightly. Jharm turns to his father laughing.

"Now THAT is an embarrassing situation...I bet the poor guy is utterly tongue-tied."

"No doubt about that..."

The two men look over as a wagon pulls through the gates loaded with some chests and a few pieces of

furniture. Vildayvin begins to head towards the wagon as a few servants hurry out of the palace to help move the items.

"Ahh, it would seem my things have arrived, lets get it all moved in shall we?"

Between the servants and a few off-duty royal guards all the items get moved into the Captains Quarters which resided on the second floor close to the main staircase. Containing 3 rooms, the first one generally used as the Captain's office and work area which then leads into the bedroom and bathroom. Most of the furniture getting places around the room and chests emptied by the servants, one chest remains untouched. One of the servants running up to Vildayvin.

"Excuse me Captain Devaron, it would seem this one chest is locked, no one recalls finding any keys near it or anything."

"Ahh, that would be correct. You may leave that one alone, I will take care of it personally thank you."

The servant bows and eventually everyone filters out of the room leaving the father and son alone. Vil then walks over to the locked chest and pulls the silver chain from around his neck and pops the lid again. Pulling out the picture of the King and Queen, he takes it out and places it on his desk in the other room before returning to the chest. After some digging he pulls something out and turns towards Jharm. In his hands rests a sword and scabbard. The scabbard being crafted of black shining leather of the highest quality. The hilt of the sword wrapped in black leather and crafted of shining silver, a shining blue sapphire set into the end of the hilt. He glances down at the sword, a tear forming in his eyes before looking back at his son and handing it to him.

"This is the same sword I carried when I was Sentinel. It served me valiantly during my service, now I pass it on to you as you protect Queen Elsa and Princess Anna."

Jharm glances down at the sword, amazed at the craftsmanship of the blade. He slowly wraps his right hand around the hilt and effortlessly pulls it from the sheath. The blade gleaming in the sun shining through the window, the light catching the sapphire and reflecting rays of blue light from within. Runes have been etched into the blade and Jharm glances at them.

"With Honor and Loyalty I Protect Thee."

Vildayvin nods as his son reads the runes.

"Correct, Honor and Loyalty...both vitally important as a Sentinel. I must say the sapphire also is quite befitting seeing as how you are Sentinel to the Snow Queen.

Jharm nods as he slides the blade back into the scabbard, he glances at it again and then loops the belt around his waist and fastens it into place. He then looks at his father and thumps his chest and bows to him, the elder Devaron returning the salute.

"Thank you Father, I will value it always."

He then hugs Vildayvin. Vil thumps the back of his son.

"I'm damn proud of you son, I had always hoped you would become Sentinel after me. It may not have happened exactly as I would have hoped but thats in the past."

"Thank you, and its great having you back...its been too long."

The two separate and steel grey eyes meet, Vil runs his hand down the scar on his sons face.

"I am sorry for how everything happened. The last three years have not been easy...

Jharm can see from the look on Vildayvin's face that he is at risk of slipping into one of his flashbacks. He claps his hand down onto his fathers shoulder, snapping him back to the present before anything can happen.

"Worry not, its in the past, we will get through it together."

"Yes...thanks to Queen Elsa I now have a chance to make amends for my past failures, and with us together there isn't anything that can defeat us. Now, let's get going, there's plenty of other stuff we must see to."

Vildayvin stops suddenly as a thought springs to mind.

"There is one thing I have put off for far too long. It's been three years...three years since their passing and I never attended their funeral. I wanted to, but...I just couldn't. I was horrified that I would see Elsa and Anna there and I...I just couldn't face them then. Now though..."

"Do you want me to come with you?"

"No...I feel this is something I must do alone."

"So be it, I will go speak with the tailor and see if my uniform is ready."

Vildayvin nods and heads out of the palace and down to the stables, leading Steelhoof out and mounting up. He glances back towards the steps leading down from the palace at his son before spurring the horse into motion and riding out through Arendelle towards a hill overlooking the city, two large stones sitting atop it.

* * *

Jharm watches his father ride out of the courtyard and heads out of the gate a short distance behind him, heading for the nearby tailor that is working on the requisition for the Sentinel's uniform.

Reaching the building, the man walks in, the head tailor looking up from a nearby table, thread in hand as he works on repairing a suit.

"Ah, Sentinel I was hoping you would be showing up soon. We had most of the items you requested on hand, and only had to perform some simple modifications per your specific requests. I do hope it will be acceptable."

The man gestures to Jharm to follow him behind the counter. The two men walk into the back room. After a few minutes they return to the main area, Jharm now clothed in his new attire – a long black duster, black pants, boots, and gloves and a dark green tunic. On his left shoulder hangs an ornamental lanyard of dark green braids with cords hanging down of gold and purple, the three colors representing Arendelle. He examines the clothing, finding it all to fit perfectly. He opens the coat checking the inside, noticing the addition of multiple small pockets meant to hold a multitude of throwing knives, per his requests.

"I do believe you have outdone yourself Mr. Bogan. Fits quite well and all the modifications that I requested have been done."

Jharm pulls a small pouch out of his pocket, pulling coins out of it to pay for the clothing and whatnot and goes to hand it to the man. The tailor takes half of the coins and waves off the rest, Jharm raising an eye in slight confusion.

"Please...consider the rest as a gift Sentinel. With you and your father looking over the Royal Family, the safety of Arendelle is in good hands, I simply wish to do my part to help."

The Sentinel pauses as he absorbs what he just heard. He then bows to the tailor.

"I thank you Mr. Bogan...your generosity will not be forgotten."

He then turns and leaves, heading towards the blacksmith.

* * *

Vildayvin rides through the streets of Arendelle, his mind returning to a dark day in his past...the funeral for the King and Queen of Arendelle. He had wanted to attend the ceremony...but in the end couldn't bring himself to even draw near the hallowed ground, the recent events too vivid in his mind. After a few minutes of riding he drew upon the hill bearing the grave markers. Bringing Steelhoof to a stop a short distance from the stones, Vil dismounts and tethers the horse to a nearby tree. Slowly walking forward he can almost envision the funeral ceremony. The Bishop off to the side, delivering a eulogy about the monarch's passing before their time, Princess' Anna and Elsa [never aware that Elsa never attended the ceremony] in between the stones, heads lowered in grief. The man stops a few steps away from the stone designated for the King. After a few moments he places a gloved hand upon the stone and begins to speak as if the King was still standing before him.

"I'm sorry my King. I promised you that fateful night that I would look over Elsa and Anna. I tried, but in the end I was too worried that I would hurt them...maybe if I had been stronger things wouldn't have happened like they did."

For a moment he seems as if he is going to suffer a flashback but then recalls the recent events...Elsa selecting him as Captain of the Guard and his son as her Sentinel. The thoughts bringing him back from the brink of despair finally, the soldier takes a step back from the stone and falls to one knee.

"My King, I renew the oath I made to you on that night that I will forever protect your daughters from harm. I may have faltered but thanks to your daughters great wisdom I have been granted a second chance. I will not fail again. This...I swear upon my life."

Vildayvin stands once again, his eyes tearing up slightly as he can almost imagine the figure of the King standing next to the stone, a smile upon his regal face. The guard bows towards the figure and then turns and returns to Steelhoof, mounting the horse and riding off back towards Arendelle.

Jharm exits the blacksmith wearing a gleaming silver breastplate, the crest of Arendelle emblazoned on the front, spotting his father riding down the street towards him. Vildayvin reigns in his horse, admiring the uniform his son wears.

"Now that...is a uniform befitting a Sentinel of the Crown."

"I am glad you approve of it. It would seem it is getting late, Her Majesty and Princess Anna should be returning from the ice palace is a short while, shall we head for the road and await their return?

Vildayvin nods as he dismounts Steelhoof, leading the horse by the reins as the two Devarons head towards the gate that the royal sisters would have to pass through on their return trip


	7. Father and Son

The two men ride up past the guards at the gate, the soldiers snapping to attention and saluting the two officers, Vil and Jharm returning the motion before continuing on a short distance away from the gate. Vil ties up Steelhoof to a nearby tree and then both men sit down on some nearby rocks, keeping an eye on the road in the distance for any sign of the royals and the ice-harvester. While they wait the two men talk, Jharm filling in his father on everything that has happened since he left Arendelle.

"Right there in the middle of the ball room?"

"Yes...Her Majesty had just ended the party and ordered the gates closed and the Princess had a heated argument. Needless to say it was a little bit of a shock, of course if that damn Duke Weasel...err...Duke of Weselton hadn't ranted on about her "sorcery" and "dubious things going on" and then having the audacity to call her a monster when she accidentally unleashed a blast of ice near him making him fall..."

"Weselton...that man has always been shifty-eyed. The King and Queen were never very trustful of him...does he still wear that ridiculous toupee?"

"Yep...the foolish thing almost came off when he bowed before the Queen and Princess."

The two men burst out laughing at this point.

"Oh I wish I could have been there to see that!"

Once the laughter dies down Jharm continues telling of what had happened after that, his father occasionally interrupting him to ask questions.

"They rushed past the snow creature and into the palace after the Queen?"

"Yes, with crossbows in hand. After the snow creature fell off the edge of the cliff we raced in after them, I had a bad feeling I knew what they were up to. We got to the top chamber but thankfully Her Majesty had managed to defeat them, pinning one against the wall and...forcing the other one out onto the balcony with a wall of ice. One of the few "good" things Hans did was stop her from possibly forcing the one man off the edge. The thug against the wall then decided to take one last attempt at ending her life but Hans forced his crossbow up and it dropped the giant ice chandelier down onto the floor, knocking out Queen Elsa in the process. Suffice it to say, I was a little...angry towards the man once we pulled him off the wall, it took the rest of the men to haul me off of him. Not exactly something I'm too proud of, I shouldn't have lost my temper like that but..."

Vildayvin pats his son's knee.

"You can't blame yourself...he had attempted to take the life of the Queen, something you swore an oath to prevent. Unfortunately nothing will be able to be pinned on the Duke, what with Hans' dark motives becoming evident, but I think the sooner we get him and his cronies out of Arendelle the better."

"I agree...him and Hans."

"Hans...tell me more about him."

"Well, he is from the Southern Isles and is 13th in line for the throne behind his 12 older brothers. He showed up for Queen Elsa's coronation and succeeded in convincing the Princess they were each others true love. Poor girl, she spent 13 years almost alone and the first guy she meets exploits her naivete. Anyways...she left him in charge when she went to try and bring Elsa back. He managed to convince almost everyone that he was a good man, following Princess Anna's wishes but even at that point he just...I didn't trust him. After the whole ice palace incident he had Her Majesty brought back here and...had her chained in one of the dungeon cells. Like a damn dog! Her hands clapped in manacles!"

Vildayvin can see the anger clearly evident on his sons face. He doesn't say anything, letting Jharm continue.

"No one else stepped in to guard Her, though I argued with the Captain about how her life had already been jeopardized once already. The damn fool simply responded "The Prince said no". I promptly told him where he could stick the Prince's order and went and stood in front of the door to her cell. I don't know if he ever passed on that info to Hans or not, but only a short time after that, the Prince showed up at the Queen's cell with some of the guards. They were going to execute her! Claimed she had killed Princess Anna...but who was he to make any such decision?!"

The anger is almost overwhelming the man as he stands up and beings to pace around slightly.

"The man just showed up, con'd the princess into getting engaged...mysteriously marries her right before she "dies" and then charges the Queen with treason and wants to execute her?! I knew I had to do something...thankfully Her Majesty had already started a plan, though I am not sure if it was exactly of her own volition or just because she was so scared and her powers were doing their own thing. Regardless, I managed to delay them at the door long enough that she was able to escape."

"Well done my son, now I understand what She meant when she said that she wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you."

Vil stands up and envelops Jharm in a big bear hug.

"You did your father proud. Your gut told you something was wrong and you fought to fix it."

"Thanks, in the end though it was almost for nothing because that...man...still managed to track the Queen down out on the frozen ice and was about to kill her when Princess Anna..."

Jharm's voice catches in his throat as he recalls the sight of Anna stepping into the line of Hans' blade and freezing solid, blocking the sword from getting near Elsa.

"She was frozen...frozen solid. It was then that I realized just how twisted Hans' truly was. Anna had been alive when he had called for the Queen's death...he had abandoned the girl to try and fulfill his own dark plans! I won't lie...at that moment the only thing I desired was to run my blade through his belly and watch the light in his eyes fade into nothingness. I know such thoughts are not what you raised me to think...but...*cough* anyways, thankfully the spell over the Princess faded away, my guess is due to her selflessly sacrificing herself to save her sister. I raced down the tower to apprehend the villain and before I was able to get back outside the Queen had discovered how to reverse the freeze she had accidentally placed on the kingdom. Hans showed up shortly after the boat the Queen was on docked at port and Princess Anna...she is always so happy and bouncy but let me tell you...she became a different person the moment Hans showed up and tried to have us arrest the Queen. She bellowed about his betraying her and attempting to kill her sister and ordered us to arrest him. Naturally this was something I was more then willing to do."

The conversation then switched over to more official business, working on improving training for the guards, re-arranging the roving patrols within the palace to ensure better overall security coverage, and other such concerns. After around 30 minutes or so the two men spot some figures in the distance. Two horses and a reindeer, Princess Anna on one horse and Kristoff riding behind Queen Elsa on the other horse, with Olaf laying on top of Sven, starting up at the sky. As the group draws closer Jharm can see that the Queen looks exhausted, the Sentinel moves up to the group as they get near the two men, Vildayvin mounting up on Steelhoof.

"Your Majesty, are you alright?"

Elsa raises a hand to calm the man down as a weak smile spreads across her face.

"I had a feeling you two would be waiting for us to return. Worry not Jharm, I am fine. Kristoff here has been kind enough to provide me with some physical support during the trip back. You may get down down Kristoff, I will ride the rest of the way, I would not want to worry anyone else further.

He nods and climbs off the horse, hopping up onto Sven's back once the snowman has moved. The Sentinel glances at the ice-harvester and nods, showing his appreciation for the man's actions in helping the Queen.

_Well looks like we were right the trust the man._

The two elite guards flank the royal sisters as the group enters Arendelle and heads for the castle, Jharm walking to the left of Elsa and Vildayvin, on top of Steelhoof, trotting next to Anna. Kristoff takes Sven and Olaf through some of the back streets so no one see's the magical little snowman. Elsa glances down at the Sentinel as they travel through the streets of the city.

"I say Sentinel, that is an impressive uniform you have on. I must admit I am surprised you had it finished so fast."

"Well Mr. Bogan the tailor is a master with needle and thread. He had most of the items available already, he just had to do some modifications on the coat mainly."

"Modifications?"

The Sentinel pulls open one side of his coat, showing the Queen the multiple sleeves sewn onto the inside for holding throwing knives. Elsa nods at seeing this.

"I guess one must be ready for anything."

"That would be correct my Queen. The safety of yourself and your sister are all that matters to me now."

Elsa blushes slightly at this, the absolute devotion of the man to protect her, even after all she had done to Arendelle, still amazes her at times. As the group moves through the city, the citizens respectfully move out of their way, bowing and occasionally throwing words of praise in Elsa's direction. At the gates of the castle they find Kai waiting for them.

"Your Majesty, welcome back. Shall I have the kitchen start preparing dinner?"

"Yes Kai, thank you."

With a bow the man turns and hurries back into the palace. Two guards hurry up and grab the reins of the horses the sisters are on, holding them in place allowing the two to safely dismount, and then lead the animals towards the stables, Vildayvin leading Steelhoof in the same direction. A commotion near the building draws Jharms attention as they are about to head into the palace. Some of the stable-hands appear to be having an incredibly hard time at trying to control a large black horse who keeps rearing up and almost kicking any of the men that draw too close. The Sentinel rushes over to see if he can be of any assistance.

"What is going on here?"

"Just got this creature in today m'lord. She won't let anyone near her and we were planning on keeping her at these stables so less chance of anyone getting hurt...too many other horses at the other ones. Don't know what we are going to do with her...not much use, a horse that no one can ride or control."

Jharm gestures for the rope that the stable-hands had managed to lasso around the horses neck. He then slowly approaches the creature, never breaking eye contact as he starts to speak softly to her.

"Calm down, I'm not going to hurt you I promise. (to the stable-hands) Does she have a name yet?"

"No m'lord...though I think the men have taken to calling her Fury, what with all her bucking and kicking."

"Fury...do you like that name?"

The horse almost seems to nod slightly at the question.

"Fury it is then. My name is Jharm."

At this point Jharm is only about a step away from the horse, and in range of its hooves should it decide to buck, but strangely enough since he started speaking to the beast she hasn't bucked or kicked at all. The stable-hands stare in amazement at the sight.

"I have a feeling you are very selective of who you want riding you...am I right? [The horse shakes its mane] I can't blame you for that, you are a magnificent creature, strong and powerful. You just don't want to risk hurting someone who doesn't know how to properly handle you isn't that it [Another shake of her mane]."

At this point Jharm slowly raises his hand and places it on the horses neck, slowly undoing the lasso.

"Um...m'lord are you sure about that?"

"Yes, I trust her...and I feel she trusts me."

Fury remains still even after the rope is completely removed, but then suddenly nudges at Jharm with her head. He laughs a little and pats her head.

"Would you allow them to put a saddle on you m'lady?"

Steel gray eyes gaze into deep brown ones as seconds pass in silence. The stable-hands glancing at each other, not knowing what to do. Suddenly the horse gives a simple nod. Jharm turns towards the men.

"Is there an available saddle I could use please?"

"Yes m'lord, one second."

One of the men hurries into the stables and brings out a solid black leather saddle and goes to try and place it on the horses back but then Fury snorts and bucks ever so slightly causing the man to take a few steps back, a slightly scared look on his face. Jharm pats the horses neck softly.

"Its okay, do you want me to place it on you? [nod] As you wish then."

He walks over to the man and takes the saddle and then slowly places it onto Fury's back, the horse making no motion to stop him as he fastens down the straps and buckles. Once he is completed he looks at the horse.

"Are you ready m'lady?" [nod]

In one swift motion the Sentinel climbs into the saddle. Once he is seat Fury seems to rear up slightly and neighs, but it seems instead of attempting to knock her rider off, the action almost seems one of joy or celebration. Jharm reaches a hand down and pats the horse on the neck. The entire event seems to have completely shocked the seasoned horse handlers. None of them expected someone to be able to handle the "crazy" horse as effortlessly as Jharm just did. One of the men steps forward, it would seem he is the owner of the stables.

"Well m'lord, it would seem she has chosen you...and only you. There isn't really any question about it,

she's yours. I have no reason to keep a horse that will only allow one man to even touch her."

Jharm bows in the saddle.

"I thank you good sir, and I'm sure Fury thanks you as well."

At this Fury trots forward up to the man and in the blink of an eye licks him across the face. The action

completely startling the man to the point he stumbles back and falls onto his butt. Jharm bursts out laughing.

"I would take that as a yes then. Well its late m'lady, what say we get you into your stall OK?"

He dismounts the horse and guides her into the royal stables, and into one of the stalls off on its own, removing the saddle and placing it a shelf nearby. He pats the horse on the neck as he closes the gate.

"I will be by to see you tomorrow. Now behave yourself and let the nice men take care of you."

The horse neighs as if she disagrees but then after a slight glare from her rider she nods her head.

"That's a good girl. Good night Fury"

He then bows slightly towards the horse and leaves the stables, returning to the group waiting at the steps leading into the palace. Elsa laughs as the Sentinel draws close.

"Tell me Sentinel...is there anything you CAN'T do?"

He seems to pause as he thinks of an answer.

"Dance...I am a hazard any time I attempt to try."

Both sisters laugh at hearing this, recalling the Coronation Ball when Duke Weselton requested to dance with Elsa. The group then heads into the palace to have dinner and then retire to their respective bedrooms.


	8. Chaos in the Castle

The door finally breaks open, the force of the Sentinel's charge breaking both ice and wood. Jharm is instantly assailed by a bitterly cold blast of air, the almost subzero temperatures making it feel like knives slashing across his exposed face. His eyes cloud up slightly at the blast and sudden pain but he pushes through, scanning the room through his blurry vision. Eventually his sight comes to rest on a form on the floor that makes his heart skip a beat.

_No...she can't be...she can't be dead!_

* * *

**Earlier that day  
**

The following day Jharm rolls out of his bed, stretching and looking around his bedchambers. He still can't believe that events have transpired in such a way, one day he is but a simple guard and the next, The Sentinel of the Crown. After bathing and getting dressed he heads out of his room, through his office and out into the hallway, making a turn to head towards the Queen's chambers where Elsa and Anna spent the night. His thought slip back to what happened last night after they had all retired to their rooms to get some sleep.

A scream startles the Sentinel awake, it's coming from the Queen's room! Leaping from his bed, Jharm makes for the hallway, but then hears something that chills his blood.

"Hans! No...please!"

Another scream, almost like someone is in pain comes from down the hallway.

_Wait...Hans? Oh god, did he manage to escape from the dungeon?!_

The man turns and grabs the nearest weapon he can reach, one of his throwing knives and charges out into the hallway and is about to burst into Elsa's room to defend her when he hears Anna's voice within attempting to awaken her older sister.

"Elsa, its me Anna! It's ok! Hans isn't here, he's locked away! We are both safe!"

The Sentinel breathes deep, calming himself down as he realizes that it was just one the Queen's night terrors. This one sounded worse though then her previous ones. He makes his way back to his room, dropping the blade on a table as he passes through his office and into his bedchamber. He collapses back on to his bed and attempts to return to sleep, but it takes him a while before he succumbs as his mind races.

_Poor Elsa, she can't be getting any sleep like this. It's evident its wearing her thin, I'm sworn to protect her and there doesn't seem to be a damn thing I can do to save her from this...to save her from herself._

Jharm spots Kai exiting Elsa's room.

"Kai! How are they? It happened again last night."

The servant nods slightly.

"I know Jharm, I heard some of it too. Anna seems ok but it is evident the Queen is exhausted. I am worried about her."

"You and me both...will they be having breakfast in their room or the dining hall?"

"Dining hall"

"Thank you, I will meet them there than."

He heads down the hallway and makes for the smaller of the two dining rooms, the large one generally reserved for more official functions with large groups of guests. He waits outside the door until he spots the sisters making their way. He bows slightly and opens the door for them, noting the exhausted appearance of the Queen. Dark spots rest under her eyes, which usually are bright blue but seem to have become dark and dreary. Her usual pale white skin taking on an almost sickly look. Once they enter he follows behind, and waits until Elsa and then Anna sit before he sits down. Breakfast arrives and the three eat in relative silence, though Jharm notices that Elsa only seems to pick at her food, barely eating any of it.

"Your Majesty, I do not wish to pry but are you feeling ok?"

"Yes, I'm fine!"

The Sentinel is a little startled at the uncharacteristic, and terse response from the Queen but doesn't speak further. One of the servants brings out the morning tea and Elsa picks her cup up to drink it when Anna accidentally drops her fork onto the floor. The clatter of the silverware seems to startle the Queen as she jumps slightly, frost flowing from her hands and freezing the cup and liquid into a solid chunk of ice. She shakily puts the frozen dishes down on the table and covers her face with her hands, rubbing her eyes. A few seconds later she pushes her chair back and goes to leave the room.

"I will be in my study."

Jharm glances over towards Anna, a look of great concern on the young girls face at her sisters brusque behavior. The two continue eating their meals in silence, both lost in thought. After finishing her breakfast Anna gets up and goes to walk away when she stops.

"Sentinel, I'm sorry for my sisters response to your question earlier."

"Please Princess, there is no need to apologize. She is not feeling well and I am sure she does not mean to be so...forward."

Anna simply shakes her head, wanting to agree with the man's answer but worry is still on her face as she leaves the room.

"I will be with Kristoff down at the stables."

Jharm finishes shortly after and heads down the hallways to the Queen's study, knocking softly and waiting for a response.

"Enter."

Opening the door he sees Elsa already hard at work, numerous papers and trade agreements before her, scribbling away her signature. He watches over the Queen as the hours tick by, a servant showing up at one point to bring her some lunch. Without missing a beat she gestures to place the tray on her desk. As another hour ticks by though the tray remains completely untouched. It is evident that Elsa is over-working herself, Jharm notices a few times that she almost seems to have to steady herself by holding onto the desk when she glances up at the clock. Wanting to say something he opens his mouth but then stops, remembering her response earlier. Figuring asking her again would simply get a similar response and possibly agitate her further he remains silent. Without a word he turns and opens the door and steps out into the hallway, so as to do a patrol around the hallways to ensure everything is secure. Upon entering the hallway he sees Anna approaching. She gives him a motion to stay quiet as she smiles at him and slips through the open doorway into her sisters office. It would seem she has decided to try and cheer the Queen up. The man smiles slightly, hoping it works, before he heads down the hallway.

After during a thorough check through the surround halls and confirming that everything was secure, the Sentinel begins to head back to Elsa's study when he hears what sound like an argument coming from the room.

"HOW DARE YOU! DON'T YOU DARE TELL ME TO LEAVE! NOT AFTER EVERYTHING WE HAD BEEN THROUGH! DAMN IT ELSA, STOP PUSHING ME AWAY FOR ONCE IN YOUR LIFE!."

Running down the hall he reaches the door just as Anna comes rushing through, slamming the door behind her, a look of absolute fear and panic on her face as she collapses against the closed door. Before he has a chance to ask what is going on, a scream resonates from within the study. The Sentinel grabs the doorhandle and is about to swing it open when a hand appears on his shoulder, it belongs to Kai the butler and Gerda is beside him, speaking softly to Anna.

"No...don't open the door, it's not safe yet."

"Not safe YET?! What the he-"

He stops mid-sentence as he glances down at Anna and Gerda. The Princess is completely distraught and not wanting to create a scene in front of her the Sentinel motions with his head for the male servant to follow him further down the hall. Once they are far enough away from the doorway Jharm turns to the man, a look of anger on his face. While he is quite angry at hearing such a statement he makes sure to used hush tones so his words don't carry down the hall to Anna's ears, another scream coming from within the study.

"What the HELL do you mean not safe YET? Damn it all Kai what is going on here? The Queen is screaming as if she is in absolute agony behind that door and you tell me it's not safe YET?"

"I'm sorry Sentinel...she is having an...episode and it's not safe to go in that room until she is done."

"An episode?! What are you talking about? Is there something you haven't told me Kai?!"

The servant sighs and nods his head slightly.

"Yes...sometimes when Queen Elsa gets overcome by her emotions she loses all control over her abilities and they literally explode from within her against her control. Anyone inside that room, other than herself, would be in grave danger. The only thing we can do at this point is wait for it to pass before we can try going in there."

"Overcome by her emotions? Damn it why didn't you tell me about this sooner? If I had known I would have stopped the Princess from going in, I knew she had something in mind to try to cheer up her sister, and it seems to have completely backfired!"

It is obvious the Sentinel is quite upset as screams continue to resonate from within the study. The idea that the Queen is suffering and there isn't anything he can do to help or protect her disturbs the man greatly. A thought then crosses his mind as to one way he can try to protect her, and Anna's safety. Something he and his father and been speaking about the day before. Without saying anything he leaves the manservant behind as he tears off down the hallway, heading for the Captain's Quarters. Barreling into the office without even a knock, Vildayvin looks up about to yell at whoever barged in when he see's his son standing before him, a look that seems to be a combination of anger and anxiety on his face. He quickly gets up and walks over to the man as Jharm turns and closes the door.

"Jharm...what is wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost or something."

Jharm looks at his father and his face suddenly becomes completely blank and he places his hands behind his back.

"Captain, I hereby order you to lock-down the Royal Wing at once, no one is allowed to enter or leave the area outside of those designated on the Alpha list. Until further notice you shall be in temporary command of all activities within the palace, outside of the Royal Wing. No visitors will be allowed to enter the palace until I give you permission to do so. Do I make myself clear?"

Vildayvin listens in silence, his eyes getting slightly bigger as his son references the Alpha list, a procedure the two developed where a specific area or person is deemed off-limits to only but a select few people. The Alpha list contains only Elsa, Anna, Kristoff, Kai, Gerda, and Jharm. This was not something they were planning on putting into any kind of use so suddenly and the fact Jharm is doing such a thing means something bad must be happening. Dropping any sign of familiar bond with the Sentinel Vildayvin snaps to attention and salutes the man.

"As you command Sentinel, I will have guards placed at all entrances to the Royal Quarters at once!"

Jharm nods to the Captain and turns to leave but then stops and turns back around, his face returning to the previous look of anxiety.

"I apologize for the suddenness and lack of explanation but just know that it is needed. Please ensure that outwardly nothing seems out of place, I do not want anyone realizing something isn't right."

Vildayvin nods as he puts up a hand.

"Trust me Sentinel, I know the...requirements of the position. When and if you are able, you will tell me. I am sure though there are other places you must be, I will see to things on this end."

Jharm nods to his father and exits the room, taking off back towards the Queen's study as he hears his father exit his office and start bellowing orders to the guards in the area, sealing off the wing of the palace that houses the area around the Queen's study. He reaches the study in time to see Kristoff attempt to kick the door open. He notices as he comes up to the door that the sound of screams have stopped. Kai moves to stop Kristoff from trying the door again.

"Save your energy, the door is no doubt frozen solid in its frame, all we can do is wait for it to thaw more."

The servant then turns and notices Jharm come up, his face having taken on his "military" look, a blank slate revealing no emotions or feelings. The servant nods at the man as if to try and apologize once again for hiding the information from him. Jharm seems to show no sign of noticing as he speaks up.

"How soon until we think it will be thawed enough?"

Kristoff taps on the door slightly as if trying to judge it, he then looks at the Sentinel.

"I'd say without using any kind of heat, it might thaw enough in about 20 to 30 minutes. Can't accurately say though...no way to know just how cold it might be on the other side of the door."

While the answer is as accurate and honest as the man can give to Jharm, the length of time is longer then he would have liked to hear.

_20 to 30 minutes?! Queen Elsa could be dying or even already d-no...I won't even go there. She's got to still be alive! Damn it all!_

He simply remains standing there in silence, glaring at the door as if somehow he could vent his anger and impatience at the ice, willing it to melt faster. As he waited in silence, Princess Anna paced back and forth, worry as plain as the freckles on her face. Kai and Gerda stood off to the side, being familiar with the Queen's episodes they seemed the least concerned out of the group but even the looks of their faces seemed to show some concern, almost as if this episode was worse...or different then any others they had dealt with. The Sentinel disregarded this, cracking his neck and clenching then unclenching his hands as his temper started to escalate as time passed. After about 20 minutes he suddenly speaks up.

"Enough...waiting!"

He suddenly raises his right leg and slams it against the door, just to the left of the lock. The door shakes slightly, a few ice shards falling from the frozen portal and down to the ground. Again he raises his booted foot and slams it against the door...a few more flakes fall off. A third time he assaults the door, and for a third time more crystals fall off.

"Everyone step away from the door...now."

At the words, the two servants, Anna, and Kristoff back a few feet away from the door, leaving Jharm as the only one exposed to whatever may be contained within the room beyond. He then turns around and opens the doors leading to the small waiting room used for people waiting to speak with the Queen (or previously her father) while they worked in the room across the hall. The Sentinel entered the room, walking in a few steps to give him more space to get up speed before he turned around to face the frozen doors barring him from reaching the Queen. A scowl spreads across his face as he prepares himself to try to break the doors down.

"Nothing...is going...to stop me!"

He charges forward, aiming his left shoulder at the door, slamming his muscular frame against it with every once of strength he can muster. Between the previous strikes and the force hitting it now, the door breaks open, the sound of breaking wood and ice echoing down the hallway a short distance. Jharm pays it no attention for as the door flies open he is met with a bitterly cold blast of wind, the almost sub-zero temperatures eliciting a pained gasp from the man as it feels as if numerous blades tear at his exposed face, his eyes clouding up and watering from the pain. He pushes the pain away as he scans the room, the others following in behind him, getting their first view of the destruction that waited within.

The entire room covered in a layer of ice, all the furniture blasted almost beyond recognition. Large spikes of ice hang from the ceiling, threatening anyone who stands underneath them with impalement. With the windows completely frozen over and any candles having long been extinguished by the arctic conditions, the only light in the room comes from the open doorway.

Jharm glances around for a few seconds before his eyes settle on something that causes him to suck in a sharp breath. A foot or so from the destroyed desk the Queen worked at was a circle of icy stalagmites in a circle around a frozen body...the body of Queen Elsa, and it didn't seem that any breath was escaping from the form.

_No...she can't be...she can't be dead!_

Anna saw Elsa's form a second later and with a cry ran over to her sister and attempted to put the Queen's head in her lap

"Elsa, wake up! She isn't breathing! Oh my god, Elsa please wake up!"

At attempting to touch the frozen form though she yelped in pain as the cold burned her hands.

Kai and Gerda rushed into action, having dealt with similar situations before. Kai began to layer blankets onto the Queen as Gerda gently picked Anna up and moved her so she could get near Elsa's head.

"Don't touch her yet without the blankets dear, she'll still be too cold."

She then leans down, putting her ear close to the Queen's mouth. After a few seconds the female servant sighed in relief.

"She is breathing, but only just."

Kai nods at hearing this.

"We need to get her out of here and warmed up right away."

At hearing this Jharm shakes himself out of his shock and exits the room, heading for the Queen's bedchambers. Opening the doors he bolts over to the fireplace and begins tossing logs on, getting the fire going until it was almost a small inferno, raising the temperature of the room to almost sweltering levels just as Kristoff slowly came in, carrying the ice-covered form of the Queen and placing her onto the bed. Anna and Gerda start attempting to remove the Queen's ice-saturated clothing, so as to get her

into something warmer, the Sentinel silently steps out of the room. A few moments later Gerda comes hurrying out, apparently off to make a cup of tea for Elsa for when she wakes up.

Jharm turns and re-enters the room, grabbing a nearby chair and moving to close to the door. As the windows have been shuttered to help contain the heat, the only light in the room is from the roaring fire, leaving the Sentinel sitting in almost complete shadow. After a few moments he removes his duster and drapes it over the back of the chair before sitting down once more. The door quietly opens and Kristoff enters with some more blankets as Anna begins to talk to her sleeping sister while dabbing at her forehead with a warm, damp cloth.

"Oh Elsa, I am so sorry, this is all my fault. I don't know what is wrong with me, I just can't seem to stop messing everything up. First the coronation and now this? I knew you weren't doing well and I knew you were struggling with your powers because of it, but I pushed you anyways...I am so, so sorry."

"Hey"

Kristoff, having reached the bed, gently places the blankets down before sitting down near the Princess.

"Anna, don't blame yourself for what happened. From what Kai told me, it was most likely the exhaustion more than anything that caused this. It was going to happen one way or the other, anyone could have set her off."

"But it wasn't anyone, it was me. I always seem to be the reason she loses control."

"But you are also the reason she is able to have _any_ control. Anne, you helped her learn to stop fearing herself, but from what you've told me her night terrors are bringing up a lot of old fears. Combine that with lack of sleep and it is no wonder she lost control. It's not your fault."

His words appear to greatly help the Princess as she pulls him into a big hug.

"Thank you."

"Any time freckles."

Kristoff happens to glance over to the other side of the room and spots the figure sitting in a chair within the shadows, the firelight gently reflecting off the silver breastplate. The Sentinel simply gives him a kind smile and nods his head.

The hours pass with relative ease. Anna, Kai and Gerda taking turns to care for the Queen. Kristoff occasionally coming in to check on the sisters, especially Anna. During it all the Sentinel sits quietly in the shadows, and while the Royal Quarters are on lock-down and the chance of anything happening to the sisters, the man refuses to leave his post. Eventually sleep manages to win out and he nods off, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword.

Elsa slowly returns to consciousness, her vision being nothing but a big blur until it slowly begins to coalesce into actual shapes and colors. Her body feeling worn beyond any accurate description, her mind sluggish, it took her a few moments until she was able to decipher that she was laying on her bed in her bedchambers. No matter how hard she tried though she couldn't remember how she got there only that...

_Anna!_

Hearing a soft murmur off to her side she glanced down and saw Princess Anna's hand laying next to her own as if she had been holding it. A noise from the other side of the room drew the Queen's attention though as she slowly turned her head. In the faint light of the fireplace she saw a man sitting next to the door, his hand resting on the hilt of a sword with a sapphire in it, soft snores escaping as he slept. A small grin appeared on her face.

_I should have known he would be close by._

She turned back towards her sister.

"Anna."

Her throat feeling completely dry and ragged as if she had swallowed shards of glass. Attempting to ignore the pain the Queen decided to try again when the Princess gave no response, speaking a little louder.

"Anna."

While the Princess stirred slightly she still did not wake up. Elsa slowly grasped Anna's hand and squeezed it gently as she spoke again.

"Hey sleepy head, it's time to wake up."

At hearing this, Anna snapped upwards in her chair.

"Elsa? Elsa, you're awake!"

The cry managing to startle the Sentinel awake he almost slides out chair, catching himself on the arm rest at the last moment. The two sisters giggly slightly at the sight, Jharm simply nodding at them as he

slowly gets to his feet, his back and legs sore from sleeping in the chair. Elsa gives him a smile and a nod, silently thanking him for watching over her and her sister. He bows slightly before turning and slowly walking out of the room, needing to get some movement in his legs and whatnot.

A few moments later after regaining proper blood flow in his legs and taking care of certain other calls of nature the man returned to check on the sisters. Softly opening the door he glanced in to see both sisters in the bed asleep, Elsa's arm draped over her sister protectively. Smiling he reaches in, removing his duster from the nearby chair and then slowly closes the door again, leaving the sisters alone.

Releasing a yawn, the Sentinel decides it may be a good time to try and get some proper sleep. Wanting to first ensure the proper security is in place he walks around the wing, checking on the recently posted guard positions. Finding all in proper position and information he finally returns to his room. Unlocking the door he walks through his office and into the bedchamber, tossing his coat onto a nearby chair and then unfastening the breastplate, the metal cover soon joining the duster before the man collapses onto his bed and falls asleep.


	9. Love is an Open Door

A beam of light comes in the window, resting directly on the Sentinel's face, waking him up from his sleep. Rubbing his eyes he glances up towards the clock and notices the time, 11:45. He then realizes something a little surprising; he went to sleep around 3am, its 11:45 now...even though he was the next room over from the Queens he never heard a single scream or anything. Was she finally able to sleep soundly without suffering a night terror? The idea makes the Sentinel smile, hoping that that means she will be more her regular self now that she was able to get some decent sleep finally. Climbing out of bed he proceeds through his morning routine of getting ready for the day. After bathing and putting on a clean set of clothes he walks towards the entry door of his chambers, stopping to put on and secure

his breastplate and tossing his duster on, checking to make sure the rest of his equipment is all in place and ready should he need it.

Exiting his room he see's Gerda coming down the hallway with a trade of food in her hand, headed for the Queen's room. Hurrying forward he grabs the handle to the door and opens it for the servant, receiving a thank you smile in response as she passes through, Jharm stepping in behind her. The room

has cooled down from last night as the fire slowly dwindled down to embers but other then that nothing

had changed, the sisters still being asleep in bed. The female servant quietly placed the royal's lunch down on a nearby table and turned towards Jharm, the two speaking very softly.

"Good morning Sentinel, how did you fare last night? I saw you had slept in here for a while."

"I slept well thank you Gerda. Yes, I guess the stress of the whole event got to me and I passed out in the chair. When the Queen woke up, Princess Anna was so overjoyed she almost screamed. Needless to say I was quite startled and almost flew out of the chair. Finding my legs quite unresponsive, these chairs not being meant for sleeping (chuckles slightly), I took a short walk. When I came back they were like they are now, and it would seem they stayed that way through the night because I never heard a peep or anything."

The woman smiles as she drew the same conclusion from the lack of any noises or screams during the night. She pats the man on the arm as she moves to leave the room.

"Thank you Sentinel, for all that you do. I can't speak for everyone else but I know I feel better knowing that Elsa and Anna have someone like you looking out for their safety."

"I am glad to hear that Gerda"

Jharm turns and opens the door gently allowing the woman to leave the room, he is about to follow her when he hears a voice behind him.

"Sentinel, wait."

Turning around he sees the Queen has woken up. Slowly she slides herself out of the bed so as not to disturb her sister, then making her way across the room to the man. She glances back at her sister with a warm smile as she speaks to Jharm.

"I swear that girl could sleep through almost anything."

"I'm sure she needed it, both of you did if you don't mind me saying. She tried her best to stay awake while she was at her side."

The Queen looks at Jharm at hearing this.

"I do not doubt it, and I know she wasn't the only one. You might think you are sneaky Mr. Devaron but that breastplate of yours can be quite reflective."

The man laughs softly at hearing this, causing Anna to stir slightly but remain asleep. Seeing this, the Queen gestures for him to step out into the hall. Once they are both outside and the door is softly closed, she turns back to the man once more.

"Sentinel, there is something I would like to ask you. When I was...in the study I was overcome by what was happening, but a few sentences somehow managed to pierce through the pain. I know one was my sister trying to comfort me...but the other one I am not sure. It sounded like an argument but then suddenly cut off."

The Sentinel's face falls at hearing this, she had overheard his initial argument with her manservant.

"Yes, it was an argument...though it was quite...one-sided I must say. That was me Your Majesty, I was about to try and enter the study when I heard your screams but Kai stopped me. His reasoning for why caught me off-guard. He told me it wasn't safe yet and in response I almost bit the man's head off.

He then explained about your episodes. You can probably safely assume my general response to the sudden information and the fact it was kept from me until it was too late was a little...hostile."

He looks away from the Queen, shame on his face at revealing his failure to control his temper and lashing out at the faithful servant. A gentle hand touches his cheek, guiding his vision back towards Elsa.

"Worry not Jharm, I am sure everyone's nerves were on edge during it all. I have no doubt that Kai understands where it came from and doesn't hold it against you."

"Thank you my Queen. I strive to control my emotions, my father always told me that "There is nothing wrong with emotions but in a crisis they can hinder you, and that's not something you can risk as a Royal Guard". I usually have no issues following that rule but when someone I lo-CARE about is in danger its not the easiest thing to do."

The Freudian slip is not missed by the Queen, nor is the fact that the Sentinel's face has turned almost beet red and she could swear she can literally feel the heat coming off his face. Before her stood the Sentinel of the Crown, a strong military man who would dive in front of a blade or arrow without a second thought if it meant saving Elsa or her sister, and yet now he almost looked more like a mortified school boy. Try as she might Elsa couldn't stop herself and a small giggle escaped as she attempted to cover her mouth. With a quick cough to stop the giggle, she gives the man another smile.

"Well I am glad to hear you care about Anna and myself so strongly. It certainly makes me feel better about my choice to appoint you as Sentinel. Now, judging from all that has happened I am assuming you have more important things to do then stand around chatting with me all day, plus I should get my sister up finally."

"Yes Queen Elsa, you are correct. I will return later."

With a quick bow he turns and speedwalks down the hallway, taking the long way to his fathers chambers.

* * *

Elsa watches the man hurry down the hallway and turn a corner before she re-enters her room. Seeing her sister still unconscious to the world she shakes her head and walks over to the bed. Leaning down she gently shakes Anna's shoulder.

"Anna its time to wake up, you can't sleep the whole day away."

The only response is small grunt as the girl settles further into the bed. Elsa smiles and shakes her head, sitting down on the edge of the bed as an idea comes into her head. Gently grabbing her sisters uninjured shoulder again, she shakes the girl.

"Anna, wake up, Kristoff is here to see you."

At this the woman bolts upright, instantly awake.

"Kristoff? Where?!"

Looking around to room to see only Elsa she realizes that her older sister tricked her.

"Hey...that's not funny."

Elsa smiles and shrugs her shoulders.

"It managed to get you up though now didn't it. Its time for lunch."

Anna sticks her tongue out at her older sister, but inside is overjoyed at being the recipient of her sisters joke, because it meant that Elsa must be feeling better. After helping Anna off the bed, the two sisters walk over to the table containing their food an after seating themselves begin to dig in, talking in between bites, Elsa being so hungry after her lack of eating that she doesn't even prod at her sister for her table manners.

"How did you sleep Elsa? You didn't scream or anything."

"Quite well actually...first time that I haven't had any dreams or anything."

"Oh that is so great Elsa, I hope that means you feel better now."

The Queen smiles at her sister, her thoughts then returning to what just transpired out in the hallway, eliciting a small giggle. Anna raises an eyebrow at the reaction.

"What's so funny?"

"Nothing...its nothing."

Anna crosses her arms (or as well as she can with one in a sling) and gives her sister a glare, not being one that likes missing out on something that must be so funny.

"Ok Ms. Grouchy-pants, I was out in the hallway speaking with the Sentinel and he let something slip that I think shocked both of us, though his reaction was quite priceless I must say."

"Really? What did he say?"

"Well...I think he likes me."

Anna doesn't really react to hearing this and picks her fork back up to continue eating.

"How's that funny? Everyone likes you Elsa."

"No...I mean I think he LIKES me"

Anna's fork clatters onto the plate below, the girls mouth agape at what she just heard.

"Wait...are you sure?"

"Well...reasonably sure. We were speaking of the small argument he apparently had with Kai during my episode, and he mentioned about how he keeps his emotions in check usually but when those he cares for are in danger he doesn't usually do quite as well. Thing is he didnt intially say care...I'm pretty sure he was about to say love, and judging from his reaction he realized it and managed to say care at the last moment."

"His reaction? What did he do? Tell me!"

"Well...other then his eyes getting as big as saucers and his face turning almost as red as your hair, he went from being big, tough, Sentinel to embarassed school boy in the blink of an eye."

"Well?"

"Well what?"

"How do you feel about that...about him? Come on we're sisters, you can tell me!"

The look on Anna's face, a mixture of pleading and excitement at the idea of sisterly bonding happening between the two removes any hesitation the Queen had.

"I don't know...I mean I care about him. Its obvious how much he cares for you and me, I caught him sleeping in that chair over there during the night and it sounds like he literally never left our side. One

can also say he is quite attractive, but I don't know."

Deep down the Queen had a pretty good idea how she felt. She felt the butterflies flutter in her stomach when he made the slip, the idea that someone would be interested in her, even after everything she was responsible for doing, and of course there was her magic and the problems brought on by it.

"Oh this is so cool! Maybe we could like double date sometime! Kristoff and me and you and Jharm...wait...can he date you?"

The Queen is about to tell her sister to calm down when she stops...realizing that that is a very valid question.

"Honestly Anna...I don't know. I mean, no offense to him or anything, he is "higher up" then Kristoff is, what with him being the Sentinel to the Crown but...I am not sure how that would exactly even work."

"Don't worry Elsa, I'm sure we will figure it out, this is so cool!"

The Princess is practically bouncing in her seat, the idea of her older sister possibly having someone interested in her, her lunch completely forgotten at this point. A knock at the bedroom door stops both sisters, Elsa responding to it.

"Who is it?"

"It is me your Majesty." [Kai]

"Oh, come in please."

The manservant enters the room, walking over to the Queen and Princess.

"Just wanting to see if either of you are in need of anything, drinks...food...would you like me to draw a bath for either of you."

Elsa perks up at the thought of a nice refreshing bath, especially after the previous day.

"Actually Kai a bath sounds wonderful."

The man bows and turns to head to the bathroom but the Queen gently grabs his arm as a thought enters her mind, the servant turning back to see what else she may need.

"Kai...you are quite knowledgeable about the procedures and rules of royalty. Something recently came up that you might be able to help me with. Hypothetically speaking...if a guard of the palace...a high-ranking guard of the palace were to say...become interested in someone in the royal family...say myself, what rules, guidelines, etc would be beneficial to know to determine if such a thing was "allowed" or what would have to happen to allow such a thing to occur."

The servant stands in silence as he thinks, both an answer for the Queen's question and also pondering about the...cause of the question. Finally he believes he has figured out a proper answer to her question.

"Well your Majesty, I may have to do some research to verify but I do believe that if the guard is a member of the Royal Guard, such a...relationship would generally not be approved of. Royal Guards are considered "commoners" for lack of a more correct term and as such would not be considered by most to be acceptable to romance royalty.

Now, not to sound forward or anything, but if by high-ranking you are referring to the man I suspect you are speaking of...with his rank and position above the Royal Guard, while it may raise a few eyebrows and some may think it to be strange, I do not believe there would be any serious issue with such a relationship. I would probably have to read up on it a little to determine if I am correct or not, just to be safe. Would I be able to know if I am correct in my...hypothetical guess?

The Queen smiles at the quick wits of the butler, as well as his display of "knowing...but not knowing".

"While I am not certain myself...you would be correct in your guess."

"I see, well let me prepare your bath's and then I will be off to perform some light reading on a few matters then and I will be back to check up on you both in a short while."

Elsa gently grabs the butlers hand and looks into his kind face.

"Thank you Kai...I really appreciate it."

"Think nothing of it your Majesty...though if I might be so bold to say...if such a thing does occur, I feel that the match would be good for both people."

The Queen blushes slightly as the manservant moves off to prepare the bath's for the sisters. Anna giggling as she see's her older sisters reaction to Kai's statement.

"See Elsa? Kai likes the idea of it too."

"Shush Anna, and please...not a word of this to anyone...especially not _him_. I think if he got any more embarrassed his face might have exploded into flames."

Anna laughs as an image of Jharm's face bursting into flames and Elsa putting them out with her ice magic pops into her head.

* * *

Jharm turns the corner, leaving the sight of the Queen before he leans against the nearest wall and covers his face with his gloved hands.

_Good grief Jharm, what the hell was that?! You don't say something like that to royalty...let alone the QUEEN! I mean...I care for both her and her sister but...love...I mean..._

He starts to really think about it, and realizes his gut kind of feels funny when he thinks about his true feelings towards the Queen. Another thought then bursts into his mind snapping himself out of it.

_No, it doesnt matter anyways, she could have just about any man she could want. Beautiful, charismatic, intelligent, and on top of all that...she's the QUEEN. I doubt she would have any interest in a simple guard...not to even mention the kind of debacle such a thing would cause..._

Shaking his head and lowering his hands, the Sentinel continues walking down the hallway, making for the Captains Quarters, deciding that he needed to get his mind on something other then what just happened. Rounding the corner he reaches the doorway leading to his fathers office. Knocking on the door he hears a response from within.

"Enter please."

Walking in he sees Vildayvin sitting at his desk, signing some paperwork and making up a guard schedule. He looks up to see Jharm walk in. Standing up he salutes his son.

"Ahh Sentinel, how does everything fare?"

"Good Captain, in fact I believe we can safely end the lock-down at this time. On that note, are you available to speak with for a short time?"

Vildayvin pauses, unsure if he means in regards to official or unofficial business. Sensing the reason for his hesitation Jharm speaks up.

"Unofficial business that is."

"Ah...yes let me just end the lock-down and I will be back, please have a seat."

He gestures to one of the chairs in front of his desk and then heads out the door, bellowing orders as guards move back to their originally assigned posts as open access is once again allowed into the Royal

Wing. Once complete he comes back in the room and closes the door before returning to his chair behind the desk.

"OK, what do you need to talk about Jharm."

"Well...its more of a hypothetical type question really."

"Sure, please go on."

"Well...lets say I am speaking to someone...someone VERY important. Now lets say while speaking to them I unintentionally let slip that I...may have feelings for them."

A slight look of confusion on his fathers face makes the man partially repeat himself. His eyes growing bigger as he stresses some of the words, not wanting to literally just come out and say that he just about hit on the Queen by accident.

"A VERY...VERY important person. Not really anyone more important then this person."

Realization suddenly spreads across the elder Devarons face.

"Oh...OH! Well then...and how did they react to hearing this?"

"Well...I managed to catch myself just as I was saying it and tried to make it sound more like caring...but after I was through humiliating myself and I'm certain my face was red as all hell, they simply giggled and thanked me for caring for them so much. Needless to say I got out of there as fast as I could. Needless to say I am a little concerned about this little event."

"Concerned? Why?"

"Well...first off I am the Sentinel...and I am pretty sure I just humiliated myself in front of one of the worst people to do such a thing with. Second...even if...IF she shared anything near similar feelings...I'm the SENTINEL...I don't know if that would be right. Third, I don't even know if such a thing is allowed period! I would willingly charge in to battle to uphold my oath, taking swords and arrows without batting an eye and here I am afraid to return to my post.

He puts his elbows on his knees and covers his face as he groans. Vil stands up and walks around the desk and sits in the other chair next to Jharm, placing his hand on his sons shoulder.

"Listen to me...I am going to make an assumption in regards to this, from what you have told me, a relatively safe assumption...you don't have to tell me if I am accurate, and nothing more will be said outside of these doors. As the Sentinel you inevitably get very close to the person or people you guard.

You spend a lot of time with them, and you invariably learn things about them that someone would probably not normally know. That's why the position of Sentinel is so honored and valued. In your present case it is even more complicated because...well because a certain person is...available."

Vildayvin stands back up and walks over to a nearby bookcase as he continues talking.

"In regards to your statement about being allowed...in all reality there is nothing saying you are NOT allowed. Without a doubt I am sure some would use such info to try and cause trouble...but as the Sentinel you are considered quite high-ranking, though of course not actually royalty. In the end though it doesn't matter what other say..."

He walks back over and sits on the edge of the desk in front of Jharm, lifting his head up so they are looking eye to eye.

"What matters is what you feel...tell me honestly...do you truly feel there is something special there? Do you feel that you might like her more then...normal?"

"Honestly...I'm not sure...I do care about her...both of them very strongly. I stopped on the way here though to try and collect myself and started thinking about it more...and deep down...I felt that yes...there is something special there. The thing is though...what if I'm wrong? What if I am blowing this out of proportions...hell I don't even know if she has any kind of interest in me!"

He stands up, walking over to the other side of the room and leans on the wall. Vildayvin pauses for a moment as he realizes something.

_I trained him for so many years in swordplay, etiquette, defense, everything...but I never trained him for this._

He walks over to his son, turns him around and wraps him in a hug.

"Jharm, I am sorry, it would seem one of the biggest and most important things I should have taught you about...love...I never did."

The two seperate and Vil places his hands on Jharms shoulders.

"Look...the only two people who can really answer that last question are you...and her. I must be honest though and say she would be slightly foolish to ignore such an opportunity. Strong, handsome man, skilled in so many things, and has already proven his devotion to her."

Jharm looks into the steel gray eyes of his dad.

"Thank you."

Vil gestures towards the door at that point.

"Go on then, you should get back to your post, don't want them thinking you forgot about them hehe."

Jharm chuckles and goes to leave.

"Oh and Jharm...good luck."

"Thanks"

He then opens the door and leaves, heading back down towards Elsa's room where he last left the sisters. Vildayvin chuckles to himself as his son leaves and he returns to his seat.

_My son is in love with the Queen...now THAT is something I had never expected._

* * *

Kai approaches the door to the Queens room, knocking on it gently. A voice responds from within.

"Who is it?"

"Me your Majesty, may I come in?"

"Yes please do Kai."

Entering the room he sees both sisters have finished their baths and are dressed up, Elsa sitting in front of her vanity, braiding her hair into the loose french braid she had come to favor during her time at her ice palace.

"Greeting's my Queen...Princess. Your Majesty, I have done some reading up on the question you had earlier."

Elsa perks up at hearing this, turning towards the butler.

"What did you find out Kai?"

"Well, there doesn't appear to be any specific rules forbidding a relationship between the Monarchy and the Sentinel, outside of the obvious serious ones [adultery, affairs, etc.] which is naturally not an issue in your case. In regards to the issue of status...the Sentinel is officially designated as the highest position outside of actual royalty. Thus, there should not be any real grounds for people to attempt to cause trouble. Of course there would be the question...if marriage would occur, as to how the Monarchy may possibly transfer but I would say that is an obstacle that will be crossed if and when the time comes."

Elsa nods as the butler fills her in on what he has learned, meanwhile thinking to herself about what is transpiring.

_I can't believe this is actually happening. What if I am blowing it all out of proportions, what if it was simply a slip of the tongue and nothing more. Yes, he seemed a little shocked and QUITE embarrassed at it, but maybe he doesn't actually have any feelings like that._

A thought then pops into her mind, taking her back to the ball after her coronation...a conversation she had with Anna just a few short minutes before she wound up losing her temper and revealing her powers to a room full of dignitaries and nobles.

* * *

The two sisters face each other, Anna holding onto Hans arm in shock as her older sister refuses to bless their marriage.

"You can't marry a man you just met"

"You can if it's true love."

"Anna, what do you know about true love?"

The princess seems to recoil at hearing this from her sister.

"More than you. All you know is how to shut people out."

* * *

"Your Majesty?"

Elsa snaps herself out of her thoughts.

"I'm sorry Kai, I was thinking about something, Anna could you come here please?"

Looking slightly confused she walks over to her older sister, Elsa taking her hands within her own as their eyes meet.

"Anna...I have just been thinking about something...about what we said to each other at the coronation ball shortly before well...things got crazy."

Seeing her sister about to interrupt, probably with an apology she signals for her to stop.

"Please...let me finish. I inferred then that you didn't understand true love, or even love in general. While in the end, my decision was for the best, what I said was wrong. I have come to learn from you since then so much about love...and what has happened today has illustrated to me that I still don't even understand but a fraction of what it is. I want to say I am sorry for what I said that night."

Tears start to grow in Anna's eyes as her sister speaks to her, until as she finishes Anna almost falls onto Elsa, embracing her in a tight hug.

"Oh Elsa, you don't need to apologize. You were right, I didn't know anything about true love, and like you said, your decision turned out to be for the best, you saved me from actually marrying that...man. We both have a lot to learn about love, and what better way to do it then together...as sisters!"

* * *

Jharm slowly walks down the hallway, getting ever closer to the Queen's chambers. Reaching the door he raises his hand to knock but stops halfway, still slightly nervous as to if the Queen will mention anything about his comment earlier.

_Do it...knock...do you know how to knock? You're the Sentinel for crying out loud! Stop being a chicken and just knock already!_

He then hears what almost sounds like crying from within, a look of concern spreading across his face as he leans in slightly.

"The quill you gave me...the beautiful blue one...I had been using it before things went wrong...it was in my study...there's no way it could have survived those blasts in tact."

A thought crossed the man's mind as he suddenly turned around and hurried down the hallway and through the damaged doors of the Queen's study. Some of the broken furniture had already been moved but most was still piled around the room, the remains of the large desk Elsa used to sit behind still piled in a heap at the other end of the room. Crossing the room he reached the pile, looking around the area, but only seeing scattered papers and a few destroyed quills, but none looked like the quill Elsa had mentioned.

Jharm could remember actually seeing her use it...she used it all the time actually, even though there were plenty on her desk to choose from. It was a brilliant shade of blue that faded into white, fitting for the Snow Queen. Grabbing a large piece of the broken desk, the man tossed it off to the side, slowly sifting through the rubble to see if maybe the quill had somehow survived in tact underneath the desk. After removing most of the thick oak wood, he spotted a small tuft of blue sticking out between two jagged pieces of wood. Slowly pulling the pieces away he saw what he was hunting for. Buried under the entire pile was the quill he was looking for, and as extreme luck would have it, somehow it was unharmed. Gently picking it up with his left hand the man hurried back to Elsa's room, once again standing before the door.

– – –

"I promise Anna, I won't do overdue it."

The Princess still have a slight frown on her face. Her sister had just requested that Kai bring any paperwork that needed her attention to her room, seeing as how her study would not be available to use for a while until repairs could be completed.

"Elsa, I don't think you should...you just started feeling better. I know you are Queen and all but...I don't want you to stress yourself out again."

The Queen couldn't argue with what her sister was saying. She was feeling quite good, a lot better then she had been for the past few days. She no longer had a headache, she had her appetite back...for the first time in a while she had slept peacefully. The truth of the matter was though that she was the Queen and like it or not there was sure to be items that would need her attention. Another thought struck her though...they were running out of time until the schedule celebration in honor of Anna.

"Ok then, how about this? I will do a small amount of "Queen stuff" and then...we can work on your party. It is only like what...a day or so away. Besides...if I don't do any work then what would I use your amazing gift...for...oh no!"

Anna raises her eyebrow at the sudden change in her sister.

"Whats wrong Elsa?"

"The quill you gave me...the beautiful blue one...I had been using it before things went wrong...it was in my study...there's no way it could have survived those blasts in tact."

The idea that she had inadvertantly destroyed the beautiful ice blue quill her sister had given her as a coronation gift almost broke the Queen's heart as tears started to seep from her eyes.

"Oh Elsa, its okay, maybe the vendor has another one, we can always replace it."

"Yes...but it meant a lot to me that you got it for me..."

At that moment a soft knock was heard at the door. Figuring it was Kai returning with the requested paperwork, Elsa quickly wiped her eyes before responding.

"Come in."

The door opened slowly and Jharm steps , his one hand behind his back.

"Oh Sentinel, I'm sorry, I thought you were Kai."

Jharm closes the door and steps forward a few steps before speaking his left hand remaining behind his back, a nervous look evident on his face.

"I passed him going the other way a few moments ago actually. I um...overheard what you said just a little bit ago and went and uh...did some searching...some of the debris has been removed but most of it was still there. After some...some...digging around under what is left of your desk I found something I um...I think you might want back. I um...figured it would cheer you up a little."

As he finishes speaking, he moves his left hand in front of him. Gently held within is the ice blue quill Elsa had just been talking about. At seeing the writing utensil, both sisters eyes get big and tears being to flow once again from Elsa's cerulean eyes. She slowly gets to her feet, walking over and gently taking the quill from the Sentinel's gloved hand and placing it on a nearby table before turning back to the man, gazing into his steel gray eyes.

"You...you heard what I said? Then you went and found it in there..."

Before he even knows what is happening, the Queen of Arendelle has wrapped her arms around his armored chest and is hugging him tightly. A look of utter panic spreads across the Sentinel's face as he tries to process what is happening and what he should do.

"Thank you so much Jharm, that was so nice!"

What happens next is something that the man probably never expected or could have anticipated. The Queen leans up and places a kiss on his cheek. Jharm's eyes get quite large and he seems to almost freeze. The two sisters exchange looks as no other reaction occurs, and he doesn't even seem to be moving. Elsa places a hand on his arm.

"Jharm (no reaction)...Sentinel (still nothing) ...are you alright?"

As if in response the Sentinel of the Crown promptly faints, collapsing to the floor. Anna

glances over to her sister.

"Way to go Elsa...I think you broke him."

**Author's note:** Ok, so initially I had no intentions of any kind of relationship/romance (outside of Kristoff/Anna) happening, but over time I started to think about something between Elsa and Jharm, then unknowingly came up with the perfect way to introduce it while I was writing the previous chapter. I would like to mention a few things though...a) I have NO intention of turning this story into a smut filled story or anything...I intend to keep it T rated which leads into b) I have NO intention of having any kind of descriptive (to any extent) sex scenes or anything like that in this story. The closest will be occasional kissing, and of course hugging (who doesn't like warm hugs?). Eventually their relationship may progress to the point of them..."getting together" and if/when this occurs it will be handled quite simply...it will happen offscreen...think how a number of video games handle such scene's nowadays (black screen...maybe some sound but of course there won't be sounds here).

**Callout:** Once again, I would like to give special praise to the fanfic "Frozen Onward" by N.J. Berm ( s/10125020/1/Frozen-Onward ) as it was the original inspiration and reference for Sentinels. While it may sound silly I fully believe that if I had not read it and gotten the original idea in my head for this story, Sentinels of the Crown would not have existed and be here for you to read today. With that being said you should definitely give the story a read and if you also like it leave the writer a nice review and favorite it.


	10. Preparations for the Celebration

"Your Majesty, I believe he is starting to wake up finally."

The Sentinel shakes his head slightly, the sound of voices slightly breaking through the fogginess in his head. He feels someone sit down on the edge of the sofa he seems to be laying on, a gentle squeeze encompassing his gloved hand. Slowly his eyes flutter open, his vision blurred, slowly clearing until the face of Elsa comes into view. A smile stretches across the man's face until his senses fully return to him and he remembers what happened last and where he was...and who it was in front of him.

"Your Majesty! I'm uh...I'm so sorry, I don't know what happened!"

The Queen giggles slightly as she pats the mans hand.

"Relax Sentinel, I believe it was mostly my fault, I'm sure you did not expect a kiss like that."

Jharm thinks back as he recalls the feel of Elsa placing a kiss on his cheek, a smile returning to his face until he shakes his head, bringing himself back to reality.

"Uh, yeah that could have been it. What happened afterwards, if I may ask?"

"Well, lets see...you fainted. Kai showed up with the papers I had requested and managed to move you onto the sofa. It would seem you managed to hit your head pretty well during your fall so he watched over you while Anna and myself got to work on the plans for her upcoming celebration."

"The celebration? Oh my...that's tomorrow isnt it?!"

"Yes, time has certainly flown by recently hasn't it?"

The Sentinel sits up, a concerned look on his face, Elsa noticing the reaction.

"Is something wrong Jharm?"

"Um...yes my Queen, I just realized that the celebration is tomorrow and I have no real idea what the state of the security for the event looks like!"

He goes to sit up, Elsa standing up and moving, letting the man get off the sofa as he turns back towards her.

"I apologize my Queen, I must go speak with the Captain as once, we must ensure that you, your sister, and the palace will all have the proper protection, what with so many guests expected to attend."

Elsa nods her head at the man, signaling that he is able to leave. Turning to go he stops for a moment before turning back around to the Queen. Without even thinking about what he was doing, he gently placed his gloved hand around the hand of the Queen, lifting it slightly as steel gray eyes gaze into her blue cerulean eyes.

"Will you and the Princess be safe here while I am gone? I am sure if you would like I would be able to have a man or two positioned out in the hallway."

Elsa blushes slightly at the demonstration of the absolute level of care the man has for herself and her sister.

_Even with everything he has to do, he never seems to stop thinking about the safety of Anna and myself. _

The Queen can almost feel the smirk Anna is giving her, even before she turns around to gaze at her little sister, then turning back to the Sentinel.

"Worry not Sentinel, I think it would be safe to say we are not looking at leaving here any time soon. Thank you for your concern."

Releasing her hand he thumps his hand over his heart and bows, then turns and leaves the room. Elsa turns and heads back to the table with Anna.

"You know Elsa, its amusing how you affect him. Normally he is the big, bad, fearless Sentinel. When you flirt with him though the guy turns almost becomes more flustered and bothered then even Kristoff!"

"I don't flirt with him!"

Anna scoffs and raises her eyebrows at her sister.

"Don't lie Elsa...you do so, you kissed him on the cheek and floored him. Be honest, you know you do it."

"I..."

Elsa starts to try and argue but stops suddenly as she thinks about it. As she thinks more she realizes once again that a few butterflies are fluttering around in her stomach as she thinks about the man. Anna

smiles victoriously and crosses her arms at seeing her sisters reaction.

"See? I was right! Now come on, let's get back to work."

Elsa can't help but laugh.

"Now that's a turn-around, you WANTING to do work."

Anna sticks her tongue out at her sister, then hands her the icy blue quill.

* * *

Jharm hurries down the hallway back towards his father's office, his mind running with thoughts and issues that would need addressed in regards to overall security. With the upcoming celebration they would be seeing hundreds of people entering the palace walls and castle itself. There had already been two attempts on the Queen's life, though the men responsible in both cases were locked away, there would be no way of knowing if more possible assassin's could be laying in wait out in the city, simply waiting for their opportunity to simply walk through the gates and get near Her Majesty...or Princess Anna.

Jharm rounds the corner and walks right through the door for the Captain's office, Vil looking up, a smirk spreading across his face.

"You know Sentinel, there is something called knocking."

"I apologize for my rudeness but I have just realized something that I hope you are already steps ahead of me on. We are one day away from Princess Anna's grand celebration!"

Knowing where his son was headed with his words, the Captain nods and gestures down at the paperwork in front of him then to one of the chairs across from him.

"I had a feeling you would be coming to speak with me about that soon. Fear not, I have indeed been hard at work on the logistics for the event. Please, have a seat and we can see what still needs done."

Jharm sits down, gazing at the multitude of papers and diagrams on the table. Vil is the first to speak and as the conversation progresses they pass the papers between them, pointing out certain areas, names, etc.

"Well, from what I have been told, we can safely estimate that most, if not all of the general populace will at one point or another be entering the Castle during the celebration. That of course does not account for visitors, most of the nobles and dignitaries that came for the Queen's Coronation have remained in port, I am working on getting a solid list of which ones are looking at attending the event or are just resupplying or repairing after the Thaw. That means we will be looking at the courtyard area, at least, seeing heavy amounts of traffic and most of the time being filled almost to capacity."

"Now, with the palace we do not anticipate AS many visitors of course. Nobles, diplomats, and so on will be able to attend the planned ball in the grand ballroom. Musicians are also being brought in to provide plenty of entertainment in the courtyard for the general populace. With this in mind we can expect to have both the courtyard and palace quite busy as the day continues on. Obviously overall security is paramount, with focus on preventing access to the off-limit areas. I believe your recent use of the Alpha List has demonstrated it would be beneficial in this case, I would think covering the Royal Quarters again, giving Her Majesty and the Princess an area they can safely return to if they need a break away from the festivities."

Jharm nods as his father rattles off the plethora of information.

"Well Captain it certainly sounds like you are doing an excellent job with it all so far, I congratulate you. It would seem like you have the security for the grounds all set, though I feel we do not need to go to Alpha, the Crystal list should be fine. Now, how are we looking in regards to

security for personnel...Her Majesty and Princess Anna being paramount, and then of course all the nobles that will be attending the ball."

Vildayvin shifts some duty rosters and a few rough hand-made maps over to the Sentinel as he responds.

"Yes, that is something I was hoping for your assistance with, seeing as how you will be the one closest to the Royal Family during the event. First I have already issued orders that ALL guards will be on duty at points throughout the day. I am working the roster to allow for the men to have time still available so they may attend the festivities as well, but none will be scheduled entirely off. The men have been informed that there will be no consuming of alcoholic beverages while either on duty or if they have shift coming up within the next 8 to 10 hours. Any misbehavior or failures to follow said orders will result in severe punishment. I figure we will want to have plenty of guards present in the courtyard, in case anyone gets...too celebratory you could say, and have at least two men stationed at the entry doors into the palace. There will obviously be men posted at all hallways leading into secure areas and they will be provided with the needed information as to who may enter. In regards to the Royal Family, I felt I would want your direct input into that before any orders or whatnot were done."

Jharm sits back in the chair, rubbing his hand on his chin as he thinks, figuring in his head the areas and paths that the sisters will be frequenting.

"Well, of course I will be near them every second I possibly can. The Queen I figure will be easy to accompany, Princess Anna may be another thing though. She is extremely friendly and full of energy, and will also be the focus for the entire event of course. I think with all of this it would be safe to assume she will be attempting to mingle with the citizens as much as possible, which would seperate her from the Queen. For her safety I think it would be best if we have two of your best and most trustworthy guards stay near her at all times. That leads me into my next thought which encompasses a few things actually."

He leans forward, pulling the full list of all the Royal Guards near him.

"Right now the way the Royal Guard is organized, there are all these men...with only you leading them and issuing orders. Even normal circumstances that can make it difficult to ensure orders are understood and handled properly...for something this big it will make it even hard, almost impossible if

anything should get out of hand. I believe what needs done is to appoint one or two men to a position, lets call them Sergeants for now at least, who will be in charge of half of the Royal Guards underneath you."

"Should an issue arise or orders need passed down, the men will report to their respective Sergeant, and they will determine if the issue needs escalated to your attention or even possibly mine. These men will need to be knowledgeable about procedures, dependable, and trustworthy as they will be

holding a place of command over the other men. I believe in certain situations, like we are facing with Princess Anna, they will also be utilized as backup protection for the Royals, stressing the dependable and trustworthy requirements."

He pauses as he glances down the list, resting his index fingers on two names.

"I believe these two men will serve quite well for the positions. Both have shown to be skilled soldiers, and I know both, like myself, were quite wary during the events during the Freeze."

Vildayvin looks at the names before returning his gaze to the Sentinel.

"If you believe you can trust them with the safety of the Queen and Princess then so be it."

The Captain gets up and walks out into the hall, speaks into the ear of a nearby guard who rushes off to find the two men Jharm pointed out. He returns in, closing the doors once again before sitting back down. A few minutes later a knock is heard at the door, Vildayvin leaning back and resting his arms on the arms of his chair before answering.

"Enter."

The door opens and two guards walk in, stopping just in front of the desk, before they salute the Captain.

"Sir, Guards Josper and Gerome reports as ordered."

Vil nods at the men.

"At ease please, you are not in any sort of trouble."

The men move to a stance of parade rest since they are still in the presence of their Captain AND the Sentinel. Vildayvin nods at them as he continues.

"I have been working with the Sentinel here to ensure that security will be top-notch for the pending celebration in honor of Princess Anna's heroics in saving Arendelle. He has suggested that some changes need to be made with the organization of the Royal Guard, and he has raised some valid points. With that in mind, a new rank will be created, denoted as Sergeant. Sergeants will be in command of half of the Royal Guards, they will take orders from the Captain and insure that the men below them obey said orders and fully understand them."

Vildayvin pushes his chair back and stands up, leaning on the desk as he continues speaking.

"The Sergeants will also be utilized at events such as the one coming up to help provide close protection of Her Majesty and/or the Princess. This will naturally require such men to be highly dependable, honest, and skilled soldiers. It has been suggested by the Sentinel that you two are such men. Would this be an accurate statement?"

"Yes Sir!"

Vildayvin nods at their response as he stands up cupping his hands behind his back. Jharm also stands up at this point.

"So be it, with the power granted to me as Captain of the Royal Guards, and with the blessing of the Sentinel of the Crown, I hereby create the rank of Sergeant and promote both of you to said rank. Congratulations and remember your oaths. Long live the Queen!"

(Both Sergeants and Jharm) "Long live the Queen!"

All 4 men thump their fists over their hearts as they make the statement. The Captain and Sentinel then retake their seats. Vil continues speaking to the men in front of him.

"Now that that is done, as I mentioned, you will be used as secondary protection for the Royals when needed. With that being said, we expect Princess Anna will want to mingle with the good people of Arendelle during her party, and as the Sentinel will not be able to be with both Queen Elsa and the Princess at the same time, both of you will remain near the Sentinel and will accompany Princess Anna when she desires to go on her own."

It is at this point that Jharm interrupts.

"Oh, we almost forgot about Mr. Bjorgman"

"Ah, yes...the ice-harvester. There will be a man that the Princess will, almost without a doubt, have accompanying her probably most or all of the day. His name is Kristoff Bjorgman, he is an ice-harvester. He is on the Alpha list and as such, allowed near the Queen and Princess Anna at any time, unless the Sentinel states otherwise. While I am sure he is able to take care of himself, should anything happen during the event, you are to ensure his safety as well, once the Princess is accounted for of course."

Vildayvin then looks over to his son, gesturing for him to speak. The Sentinel nods and stands up, sliding a map of the palace across the table until its in front of the two Sergeants.

"Now, should a major incident occur that jeopardizes the safety of Her Majesty or the Princess, they will immediately be escorted to the nearest safe room, here...here...or here."

As he speaks, Jharm points at three different rooms located in the Royal Quarters, spaced about evenly across the wing.

"You will escort the Royal or Royals to the nearest safe room. Once they are safely within, that room will be considered off limits to all but those on the Alpha list. Anyone attempting to breach the perimeter, and not on the list, is to be considered hostile and as such you will have full authorization to use any force necessary to prevent any harm to the sisters. The lockdown will remain in effect until I personally tell you otherwise, am I understood?"

Both men respond at the same time.

"Yes Sentinel!"

Jharm nods and extends his hand to each man, each taking his gloved hand and shaking it.

"Congratulations on the promotion, I feel both of you deserve it and will serve it proudly."

Vildayvin nods in agreement before speaking up.

"I will see that proper insignia and apparel is given to both of you to show your new rank, until then you will continue wearing the present guard uniform. I ask that you both report here tomorrow morning so we can make sure everything is in order and the men are placed properly. Dismissed!"

The two men snap to attention, saluting Jharm and Vil before marching out the door. Once the two men have left the office Jharm speaks up.

"On a final note, I think it should be stated that the men in the dungeon will not have ANY visitors. They will not be allowed to be free during the celebration. At present I believe we are looking at the Duke taking his men afterwards and I believe one of the nobles has already spoken with Her Majesty about returning Hans to his country after the party."

Vildayvin nods and then seems to squint his eyes slightly as he notices something he somehow managed to miss until then.

"Jharm...what did you do to your head? You got a nice little bump on the left side!"

At hearing this Jharm reaches up and rubs his head, feeling the small knot, still slightly sensitive to the touch. He seems to think to himself before his eyes get a little bigger.

"Oh, that must be from when I...um..."

"When you..."

Jharm's face turns bright red

"Um...its about a certain...someone."

Nodding his head as he understands the hint, the Captain reaches into a drawer and pulls out a key and walks to the door leading into his office, opening it he speaks to the nearby guard from earlier.

"No one is to disturb us, understand?"

"Yes sir!"

Nodding he closes the door and then locks it before returning to his seat.

"I am listening."

"Well...I was headed back to Her Majesty's chambers after we had spoke last and I overheard her crying to Princess Anna about a certain blue quill...you remember the one, she used to sign the proclamations naming you Captain and me Sentinel. Well I guess the Princess had bought it for her as a coronation present and Queen Elsa was distraught because she realized it had been in her room when...things happened yesterday, and she figured it had been destroyed. Well, I decided to check it out myself and managed to find it, still in one piece. I brought it to her and she...well she...kissed me...on the cheek!"

A big grin spreads across Vildayvin's face.

"Well that was very nice of you son, but that doesn't explain the bump."

"Well...when she kissed me it kind of...surprised me...and um...I...apparently fainted."

At hearing this the Captain bursts out into loud laughter, Jharm's face getting even redder as he covers his hands with his face. Vil slides his chair over next to his son and puts his arm around his shoulders.

"Im sorry Jharm, I don't mean to laugh, but it is kind of funny. The big powerful Sentinel has been brought down by a simple kiss. How did her Majesty take your...reaction?"

"Well...apparently Kai showed up soon after that, she had sent him off for paperwork for the celebration, and moved me onto the sofa. I guess they were working on that while I...slept. When I started to wake up she came over and sat next to me, putting her hand on mine. Of course then the first thing I see when I open my eyes is her face, and as if I hadn't made a big enough ass of myself...I smile like a damn fool!"

"Calm down Jharm, seeing as how she hasn't thrown you in the dungeon yet or exiled you or anything like that, I am sure its not as bad as you seem to think it is. How about you take a walk outside, clear your head a little. I will see that some men guard them while they are gone, I take it they are still in Her Majesty's room?"

The Sentinel nods his head.

"Yes, I believe she will be performing her royal duties there until her study can be..."

Realizing that his son is still hesitant to tell him what happened the day before, Vil leans back in his chair a bit, removing his arm from around Jharm.

"Jharm, I know as Sentinel you do not want to tell about what happened yesterday. I would never push you to do such a thing, but remember...I was Sentinel to her father. I knew of her secret many years ago. From the small shred of info you have given so far...I know of what you speak. She had them happen a few times before...the worst one being when...she was informed of her parents passing. Judging from your reaction when you came in here yesterday...no one had told you about them. For my part I apologize for that. It is something that happens so rarely that Kai, Gerda, and myself had hoped that maybe with age...and especially after recent events...that her episodes were gone."

"I understand...though I do need to apologize to Kai...in the heat of the moment I was probably more

terse with him then I really needed to be."

"I'm sure he understands...and with what you have revealed to me recently added on top of your position as Sentinel, I am certain you were quite worried when it suddenly happened."

Vildayvin stands up and claps a hand down on his sons shoulder.

"Anyways, up ya go, go take a breather outside for a bit."

Jharm nods and gets up, the two heading over to the door and leaving the office once Vildayvin had unlocked the door. Jharm continues on down the stairs and out of the palace as Vildayvin watches from the top of the stairs before turning and heading towards the Queen's chambers.

* * *

A knock is heard at the doors of the bedroom, Elsa looking up at the sound.

"Who is it?"

"Captain Devaron your Majesty."

"Please come in."

The door opens and Vildayvin walks in, stopping shortly after he enters.

"What can I do for you Captain?"

"Your Majesty...I was wondering if I could speak to you...alone please."

"Certainly, Anna...would you excuse us for just a moment please?"

Anna nods and heads out into the hallway as Elsa motions for Vildayvin to please sit down.

"What is it you would like to speak about Captain?"

"Well your Majesty...its about my son actually. He has confided in me and normally I would not betray such trust but...I feel, especially for the sake of his sanity, I need to speak with you about it."

The Queen's brow furrows as she is confused about what the man could be talking about. Seein her reaction he takes a deep breath and continues.

"He told me about his...slip while talking to you earlier, as well as where he got that bump on his head from."

Elsa's eyes get slightly bigger hearing that the man knows of his sons apparent feelings for her.

"I see..."

"Please understand your Majesty, he came to me visibly upset and embarrassed. He tried quite hard to speak to me about it...without actually telling me but he kind of forgot the most important thing. I'm his father...I figured it out."

He gets up from the table and walks over to the unlit fireplace, glancing at the pile of charred logs for a few moments before he speaks again, turning back towards Elsa.

"I don't know how you feel about his...behavior. I don't know if you might share similar feelings, and I

don't want to know...its none of my business really. What I do know though is that he is worried that he has made himself seem like a total fool in front of you. I simply ask of you that, even if you don't share the same feelings, that you please speak with him when you can, at least to let him know that you aren't about to have him exiled or anything for fainting in front of the Queen."

The Queen gasps slightly when she hears that Jharm seems to think he has humiliated himself...and that he is so worried about fainting in front of her. She glances down at the papers in front of her, pretty much all the celebration plans have been finished and signed.

"Certainly Captain, in fact I will speak with him right now, where is he at?"

"I suggested he should take a short walk, clear his head a little and calm down. Of course it wasn't until I promised that I would have some men positioned at your doors would he actually accept my suggestion."

Elsa chuckles at hearing Jharm's unsurprising hesitation.

"I am not surprised...he is quite...focused on the safety of my sister and I. If you could Captain, have him meet me in the palace gardens, I am sure Anna would like to get out of the palace for a bit and see Kristoff."

Vildayvin bows to the Queen and turns to leave but then stops, turning back towards Elsa.

"Your Majesty, your permission to speak freely?"

"Of course Captain."

"Like I said, I do not know your true feelings for my son...but as Sentinel for your father I learned to read people's faces and reactions quite well. It is evident that Jharm cares for you quite strongly...I have never seen him so...flustered by someone in his entire life, and if I might be so bold...it is evident you care for him at least a little as well. I swore an oath to your father on that night, 3 years ago, that I would watch over you and Anna, so if you ever need someone to talk to, please let me know if I can help. I won't speak of it to my son if you request it."

Elsa smiles as the butterflies inside her start flittering about again as the man speaks about Jharm's feelings towards her.

"Thank you Captain, I will certainly keep it in mind. Please have the Sentinel come find me as soon as he returns."

"Yes my Queen."

He turns back around and leaves the room, Anna walking back in as he leaves.

"What was that all about?"

"Just a father looking out for his son."

"Oh...that was nice of him. Is there anything else we need to take care of for the party?"

"Actually...no, how would you like to go see Kristoff for a while?"

As expected, the girls face lights up at the mention of the mountain man and eagerly nods her head. Elsa laughs at the comical reaction.

"Well off with you then, don't keep the man waiting."

Anna hurries out the door, bouncing down the hallway as she heads out towards the stables. Elsa shakes her head as she chuckles again. Getting up she heads out into the hallway, a Royal Guard hurrying down the hallway, likely dispatched by the Captain to protect her until Jharm returned.

"Your Majesty, Captain Devaron has assigned me to protect you until the Sentinel can return to his post."

"He moves quick I must say, I will be headed to the palace gardens, please accompany me there."

The guard bows and follows Elsa as she heads for the gardens, thoughts of her conversation with Vildayvin, recent events, and of course, Jharm running through her head.


	11. Feelings revealed

Jharm walks back into the palace, the time spent outside helping to clear his thoughts quite well. Heading up the main staircase he spots the Captain at the top, speaking with a guard. Seeing the Sentinel approach, Vil finishes speaking with the soldier and sends him on his way.

"Ah Sentinel, was my suggestion helpful?"

"Yes Captain, I thank you. Where might I find the Queen and Princess?"

"Well, Princess Anna is off seeing Mr Bjorgman, I have Sgt. Josper guarding her, and Sgt. Gerome went to find Queen Elsa. She should be headed to the palace gardens and requested that you come find her as soon as you returned."

"Thank you for the information Captain, I will head that way immediately."

Father and son exchange salutes and head their separate ways, Vildayvin off to finish up with security details for the celebration the next day, and Jharm off to the palace gardens. As he reaches the entrance leading into the gardens, he sees the newly appointed Sgt. Gerome standing guard, but no sign of Elsa.

"Sergeant, where is Her Majesty?"

"Within the gardens hedge maze, she insisted I wait here and direct you to her when you arrived."

"I see, thank you Sergeant, you may return to your previous post."

The two men exchange salutes and Gerome leaves the area as the Sentinel heads into the gardens, entering the hedge maze. After a few minutes strolling through the winding paths of trees, shrubs and flowers, until he reaches the small pond in the center of the gardens and sees Elsa seated on one of the stone benches at the pond's edge, seemingly deep in thought.

"Your Majesty, I apologize for my tardiness, I hope you haven't had to wait too long."

Elsa looks up and smiles at the man and gestures for him to have a seat to the left of her on the bench.

"No need to apologize Sentinel, the weather is quite nice today, and I find it very relaxing out here. Please, have a seat."

Jharm sits down next to Elsa and the two sit in silence for a few moments, neither sure of what to say next. Jharm decides to break the silence first.

"So...how goes the celebration plans? Is everything in order for Princess Anna's big gala?"

"Yes, actually we had gotten just about everything in order when I had a visitor...the Captain of the Guard actually."

"Really? Did he fill you in on the security measures that will be in place to ensure yours and Princess Anna's safety?"

Elsa fidgets slightly, a little hesitant about what she is going to say, unsure how the man might react.

"Actually no...it was of a more...personal nature."

"Oh? I see..."

"Yes...he explained that he was concerned for someone very close to him...namely you. He told me about how something has been bothering you recently...and he felt it involved me. He simply asked that I speak with you about it."

Jharm grips down on the edge of the bench tightly as he hears this, clearly nervous about the idea of talking about it. Seeing his reaction, the Queen gently places her hand on top of his and slightly squeezes it. Feeling the pressure the Sentinel glances down, seeing her hand on top of his and then following it up until he is gazing into her brilliant blue eyes. Seeing that she has his attention Elsa continues talking.

"I know what it is that bothers you Jharm, and I think it is something we both need to open up about. If there is one thing I have learned from everything that has happened recently, it's that bottling up emotions and attempting to hide them away doesn't work forever."

The Sentinel stands up and takes a few steps away from Elsa, his hands instinctively clasping behind his back as he takes a deep breath. He knows that what the Queen is saying is true...he can't keep hiding his emotions like this, not when he works so close to her.

_Honor...and integrity..._

He turns back around towards Elsa, any sign of nervousness briefly gone as he decides to "take the plunge".

"You are correct Your Majesty-"

Elsa raises a hand, interrupting him mid-sentence.

"Please...call me Elsa. Right now we are simply two people, not Queen or Sentinel."

"As you wish, Elsa."

She can't keep a smile from forming. For some reason whenever he says that..."as you wish" with such sincerity, she can't help but smile. She stands up and walks over to the Sentinel, placing a hand on his arm and gesturing for him to walk with her, the two slowly moving throughout the gardens as they speak. As they start to walk, Jharm continues speaking where he left off.

"As I was saying...you are correct Elsa. Our conversation, and what I said during it, as well as my reaction to your kiss has been weighing on my mind. After I left you this morning, I went to speak with my father. While speaking with him I realized that...I...have feelings for you."

He breathes deep, having finally taken the dive and revealed his feelings to the woman. Elsa stops walking as her face flushes red as the man confirms her hopes. She bends down to smell some roses nearby, using the action to hide her blushing face as she thinks to herself.

_He does actually like me? Could I be dreaming this?_

An image then enters her mind, almost against her will. A frozen Anna standing before her...someone she loved dearly, frozen solid by Elsa's failure to control her powers. Fear begins to build within her at the idea of some day possibly losing control again and injuring the man next to her. Suddenly frost envelops the rose she is touching, freezing it solid, the stem snapping in her hand and the frozen bud falling to the ground. Cringing she steps away from the flowers and stumbles against Jharm, spinning around, fear evident in her eyes as she looks at him.

"Elsa?"

"Aren't you frightened though? I could hurt you...like I hurt Anna."

The Sentinel seems slightly shocked at the question but responds quickly.

"What? No...I am not frightened of you. Your sister didn't allow fear to stop her from riding off to find you, she didn't let fear stop her out on the frozen fjord either. Fear won't stop me."

As if to demonstrate what he means, the man pulls the glove off his right hand, the silver ring catching the rays of the sun as his hand envelops her own...the same one that just froze the flower a few seconds ago. Gazing at the hand around her own, no sign of fear or doubt on the mans face, Elsa can feel a tear slide down her face.

_I can't believe it...he really isn't afraid._

Before either person knows what is happening, the two embrace in a hug, the large form of the Sentinel encompassing the smaller frame of the Queen almost like a protective shell. The two stand in silence for a few moments before Elsa takes a step back, wiping her eyes.

"I'm sorry, I should be honest with you too Jharm. I spoke with Anna after what you had said. Like your father with you, she made me realize something important. I...have feelings for you too."

Judging from the smile on the mans face, he couldn't be any happier about her response, gently taking her hand in his own as the two continue walking through the gardens in silence. After a few moments Jharm speaks up.

"What now though? I mean you are the Queen of Arendelle, and until only recently I was just a simple guard."

"True...but something Anna has taught me is that real love conquers all. Regardless of what you "were", you are now the Sentinel. I will have feelings for whoever I so choose, I do not care who disagrees, I am Queen after all. The only thing that concerns me is if news of our interest in each other gets out, and someone chooses to cause trouble at Anna's celebration tomorrow. She seemed really happy when I spoke to her about what you had said, but I am sure she will understand if we keep quiet about it for a few days more."

The pair draws nearer the entrance to the gardens as they continue walking, when Jharm suddenly stops as if he hears something. His eyes shift around as he scans the area and then a small smile appears on his face as he looks at Elsa.

"We could always simply ask her about it."

"What do you-"

"Princess Anna, I know you are there, come on out."

From behind a nearby row of colorful bushes Anna walks out into the open.

"You too Kristoff."

From the same area Kristoff steps out from, stepping behind Anna as he expects a possibly harsh response from the Queen and Sentinel. Elsa looks a little surprised at the revelation.

"Anna! Were you eavesdropping on us? How long were you there...how much did you hear?"

The Princess hangs her head a little, getting the feeling that her sister is none too pleased at being spied on.

"Only a few moments...I was giving Kristoff a proper tour of the palace, and I wanted to show him all the amazing flowers and plants in the garden. We heard you two talking within the maze, and I just had to know if it was about what I was hoping it would be about."

As if to show what she meant, her eyes fall to the area in between Elsa and Jharm, and that their hands were still intertwined.

"I didn't mean to seem like I was spying on you...Kristoff tried to get me to leave but I waited too long and then you would have seen us when we went for the doorway. I figured we could just hide out until you left...I didn't plan on Jharm super Sentinel-hearing though."

Jharm can't help but laugh at hearing this.

"I apologize Princess, but attentiveness to one's surroundings is very important as a Royal Guard, and I am certain neither of you have had any sort of stealth training. I trust that your reconnaissance mission proved beneficial at least?"

"Yes but...I heard what you said there at the end Elsa. You don't want people to know about you two? Why?"

Elsa's stern expression softens at this point as she releases Jharms hand to move to her sister.

"Oh Anna, its not that I don't want people to know...I just don't want to risk someone trying to cause a stir about it at your big party tomorrow. I spoiled the last ball we had, I didn't want the upcoming one to be possibly affected on my account."

"Phooey on all that Elsa!"

She sternly grabs her older sisters hand and pulls her back over to the Sentinel, placing their hands into each other.

"You spent 13 years having to hide things from people, I won't let you do it any more, especially not on account of me! Anyone wants to cause trouble at the party about the two of you they will answer to me!"

Elsa cant help but burst out laughing at the idea of Anna throwing someone out of the grand ballroom. She releases Jharms hand and embraces her younger sister in a hug.

"Oh Anna, I've said it before but it's still true...you're too good to me. OK, we won't hide it but if it's alright with you, I don't want any big announcement about it or anything. We wouldn't want to make the Sentinel uncomfortable again now would we?"

Knowing that Elsa is referring to his fainting from her kiss, the man starts to blush slightly as Anna giggles slightly and Elsa turns to the man, reaching out her hand to give his a playful squeeze. After controlling her giggle, Anna nods in acceptance and responds in a playful, sarcastic sounding tone.

"OK...I'll accept that if I HAVE to."

Jharm bows to the Princess.

"Thank you Princes...I do not think I would be able to properly protect either of you if I am passed out on the floor."

A loud cough is heard by the entryway leading out of the gardens as Kai steps into the clearing.

"I beg your pardon Your Majesty, but dinner is just about ready. Shall you be having it in the smaller dining hall as usual?"

"Yes thank you Kai, we shall be in momentarily."

Bowing, the manservant turns and heads down the hallway to inform the kitchen staff where to deliver the food. Elsa grasps Jharms hand as she looks over to Anna and Kristoff.

"Well, shall we be off then?"

The Sentinel and Queen start to head down the hallway towards the dining room, the Princess and Kristoff close behind. Anna couldn't stop smiling at seeing her sister so happy.

"Well I must say that was quite delicious."

"Yes, the pork was masterfully done. I do believe Chef Grizman has outdone himself."

The two couples sit at the end of the large dining table, Elsa at the end of course with Anna on one side of the table and Jharm on the other, with Kristoff sitting next to Anna.

Elsa stifles a yawn as she realizes the late hour.

"Well, I think we should all be looking at getting to bed, it is a big day tomorrow for all of us and it would be best that we face it well-rested."

The other three at the table nod in agreement as all stand up and collectively leave the dining hall, heading for their respective sleeping quarters. It would seem Elsa has convinced her little sister to allow her to sleep on her own tonight, not wanting to disturb Anna's sleep should her night terrors not be fully gone yet. After bidding Anna a good night, the two wind up outside Elsa's bedchambers. Jharm grasps Elsa's hands in his own as he gazes into her eyes.

"Are you sure it is a good idea for you to sleep alone? We aren't certain that your terrors are gone, and Anna seems to be the only one able to calm them."

The Queen smiles up at the man, appreciative of his concern.

"I will be ok, I promise. Besides, I wouldn't want the Princess to fall asleep at her own party. Sleep well my Sentinel."

She leans up and kisses him on the cheek, Jharm blushing slightly as he bends down, lifting her hand up as he places a kiss on the back of her hand.

"Good night my Queen."

* * *

"Anna! Look away! Don't watch!"

Elsa stands, her lower half encased in a block of ice, manacles clasped around her hands and anchored behind her, arching her backwards slightly. A few feet behind her, trapped in a cage of ice is Anna, tears streaming down her face as she begs the two men not to harm her sister. The two men she is talking to are none other then the Duke of Weselton's personal bodyguards, crossbows loaded and cocked, aimed at the Queens chest.

"Anna...I love you, please look away I don't want you to see this!"

Two loud clicks suddenly can be heard as the crossbows release, launching their deadly spikes through the air as time seems to slow to a crawl. Terror plain in the Queen's eyes as she sees the quarrels draw ever closer to her, knowing that there is nothing she can do to stop them, knowing that her sister is about to see her be brutally slain. Suddenly a figure appears at the corner of her eye. It is a man in a long black duster racing towards her, almost neck and neck with the approaching quarrels. She recognizes the man and knows what he intends to do.

"Jharm...no don't! Stop!"

Ignoring her pleas, the Sentinel launches himself through the air as his hands pull two objects from within his coat, launching them through the air. A second after, his body intercepts the crossbow bolts, but instead of piercing the steel breastplate they shatter, exploding into harmless shards of ice against the crafted armor. The knives launched by the man reach the two assassin's at the same time, catching both in the throat. Instead of collapsing though the men release silent screams as light seems to explode from within as they shatter into shards of ice just like the bolts. The body of the heroic man crashes to the ground and doesn't move.

"Jharm...no...please no!"

Then before the Queen's eyes the man gets to his feet and turns around, his piercing gray eyes meeting with her tear-filled blue ones. She gazes at his chestplate, not even a nick on it showing that the projectiles had even pierced it. The Sentinel quickly approaches the terrified Queen and wraps her in a big hug, the manacles clattering to the floor and the ice block around her legs and the icey cage around Anna melting away as he makes contact with her.

"My Queen, I will always be here for you, I promise it."

"My valiant Sentinel...thank you"

* * *

The previously terrified and erratic form of the sleeping Queen suddenly calms down as the night terror suddenly turns into a short peaceful dream.

A slightly confused Jharm stands near the bed, Anna a few feet behind him. Both exchange looks with each other as they attempt to figure out what just happened. One moment Elsa was firmly entrenched in a night terror but then almost as fast as it had started, the nightmare ended and she calmed down and seemed to almost instantly fall back asleep. Jharm is about to turn to leave the room when Elsa moves again, wrapping her arms around herself, almost as if she is hugging someone, a large smile spreading across her face as she utters something that makes the Sentinel quietly gasp.

"My valiant Sentinel...thank you."

He looks over to Anna, who simply shrugs as a display as if to say she has no real idea what could be going on. He moves out into the hallway, ushering Anna out as well as he softly closes the door before turning to the Princess.

"Do you have any idea what that could have been about?"

"No...but I have a slight guess though. I think...you saved her or something. She was screaming about not wanting me to see something and asking someone not to kill her in front of me and next thing she relaxes and thanks you. I can't be sure but...(she places a hand on the Sentinels arm) I think somehow you have even managed to protect her in her own dreams."

Jharm smiles, though the idea boggles his mind, and pats the hand on his shoulder.

"Well, you should really get to bed Anna, if Elsa finds out you lost any sleep because of her, she won't

be very happy with herself."

Nodding, Anna turns and heads back to her room as Jharm returns to his. Soon after the Royal Quarters return to a state of peace and quiet, only thing occasionally interrupting it is the sound of soft snores.

* * *

A few hours later, Jharm is already awake and dressed for the day, having swapped out his usual black duster for with a dark green one, with epaulets sewn onto the shoulders, the tassels alternating gold and purple. His usual black gloves are gone, allowing him to proudly display the symbol of his rank, the gleaming silver ring. Should the news of his and Elsa's budding relationship spread amongst the people, like they both fully expect it to, they will see him for what he is...Sentinel of the Crown, proud defender of Arendelle. Slightly adjusting his silver breastplate, gleaming after the recent polishing Jharm just finished on it, and ensuring that his knives and sword were properly in place, the Sentinel heads out into the hall. The halls are still relatively dark, the sun hasn't even started breaking the horizon yet. He stops by Elsa's door, he listens to see if the Queen may be awake yet. Hearing nothing he softly cracks the door open, peeking in. Seeing Elsa still in bed, a peaceful look on her face, he smiles and shuts the door again then checks in on Anna as well. Satisfied that both sisters were still safe and in their rooms he headed down the hallway, headed for the entry hall of the palace, taking note that the guards are already in place to lock down entry into the Royal Quarters once the festivities begin.

Servants and guards scurry about, last minute preparations and orders being given as the gates are due to open when the sun rises. Walking out the main doors, Jharm stops next to his father on the steps, the elder Devaron having just finished giving some instructions to a guard who then turned and hurried off, both men continue gazing out across the courtyard as they speak.

"Morning Captain, how are you today?"

"Very well Sentinel, how about yourself?"

"I am good, how goes the final preparations?"

"Everything is falling in to place, Kai is masterfully keeping the servants on task and focused, and the Royal Guards are just about all in their respective positions."

"Yes, I passed them on my way out here, I congratulate you Captain, everything is running like clockwork."

"Thank you. (He glances over at the more formal uniform Jharm is now wearing) I must say Sentinel, that is a very smart uniform.

He then claps his hand down on his sons shoulder, leaning in so only the two men can hear what he says.

"I would also like to offer my congratulations. I am happy for the both of you."

"Thank you, it is my understanding that a certain someone may have been...influential in having Her Majesty speak to me about it. You wouldn't happen to know who it may have been would you?"

Vildayvin smiles and shrugs.

"I'm sure whoever it was had some very good reasons for doing it."

Jharm nods his head at the statement as the two return to looking across the courtyard.

"Thank you for doing it though."

"Anything for you son, besides...couldn't let you two keep flittering and flustering around each other like you were, I knew I had to give it a little bit of a nudge. If you do not mind me asking...will you two be making anything known today?"

"Well, initially we were going to keep it under wraps until after the celebration but Princess Anna was quite...vocal about her dislike of such a thing, as well as her intentions to deal with anyone who wants to raise trouble about it. Therefore we won't...hide it, but the Queen does not want any sort of announcement or anything made. Today is for her sister, and only her sister."

The Captain nods at this and gazes out to the horizon, the first rays of the rising sun gleaming forth across the land.

"Well, it would seem sunrise is almost here. I would think it a safe bet that Kai is probably already working on waking up Her Majesty and the Princess."

The two men turn and head back inside, heading up the stairs and stopping outside Vildayvin's chambers.

"Well Captain, I will leave you to it then, I must get back to my post."

"Yes Sentinel, long live the Queen!"

Both men exchange salutes and Jharm turns and heads down the hallway towards the royal bedchambers, nodding at the two posted guards as he walks past them. Meeting Kai at the door of Elsa's room he stops the servant.

"Morning Kai, are Her Majesty and the Princess awake yet?"

"Yes Sentinel, they are have finished bathing and are getting dressed as we speak."

The servant turns and knocks gently on the Queen's door.

"Who is it?"

"Kai Your Majesty, I have the Sentinel here, would you like him t come in?"

"Yes, please send him in."

He opens the door, gesturing for Jharm to enter, closing it behind him and moving off to check on Anna. Jharm walks in and stops short as Elsa stands up from her vanity and he fully see's the dress she is wearing. It is the same one she wore for her speech after the Great Thaw, and it looks even more amazing to the man up close. Elsa looks at him, attempting to gauge his opinion of it.

"Do you like it Jharm?"

He stands there in stunned silence, attempting to form words but finding that his voice seems to have vanished. Shaking his head slightly and coughing to clear his throat he finally responds.

"I'm sorry...I don't feel words could truly describe how you look but amazing and beautiful is the closest I think could be used."

The smile on the Queen's face warms the mans heart as she gestures to the table nearby.

"Please, have a seat. I have asked Kai to bring our breakfast here. I do hope Anna is almost ready, I would not want to have to keep the people of Arendelle waiting too long."

At that moment there is a knock on the door.

"Elsa, you in there?"

"Well, that answeres that I guess. (towards the door) Yes, I'm here Anna, come on in."

The Princess comes bouncing into the room, her excitement plain on her face. She makes her way across the room before finally sitting down at the table with Jharm and Elsa.

"Its finally here Elsa! This is going to be so amazing. Oh, you wore that dress again. It looks so pretty on you! I hope Kai gets here soon with the breakfast, I'm starved!"

Elsa giggles at her sisters energy-fueled rant, half expecting the girl to bounce right out of her chair. A few moments later Kai does show up with two other servants, trays in hand, placing them in front of the sisters and Jharm before heading back out of the room. The three begin to eat as Elsa speaks up.

"Well Anna, I take it you slept well then if your entrance is any sort of sign."

For a brief second Anna seems to calm down, remembering about the slightly strange event during the night, but not wanting to concern her sister or anything, she simply gives an energetic nod.

"Yep...like a baby!"

Elsa notices the slight pause though, and glances over at Jharm, the man not meeting her eyes as he hopes she doesn't ask him. He does not do very well at lying, even small ones.

"Sentinel...how about you?"

Jharm places some food in his mouth and attempts to take a drink, trying to give himself some time to figure out how to answer.

"Well, I woke up at one point during the night but everything was quiet, I'm not sure what woke me up, but I fell back asleep shortly after."

Elsa looks down at her food for a moment before speaking again.

"I had another terror last night didn't I? I woke both of you up, I am willing to bet."

Jharm puts his utensils down, sighing as he knows that there is no "safe" way to answer the question, Anna simply nodding her head to answer her sisters question."

"Well...I think so yes. You were screaming about not wanting Anna to see something...then you shouted at me, like you were trying to stop me from something, then you were crying as if something had happened to me. I came in here and that fast...you just stopped. Before our eyes you stopped screaming, rolling around, everything and calmed down like nothing had happened and before we knew it, you were fast asleep again."

Elsa thinks back to the nightmare or dream...or whatever it could have been considered. While normally her terrors were still just as vivid after she woke up, this one seemed different. The first part was still easy to recall but the second half almost seemed to fade from memory, almost as if her mind had returned to sleep so quickly it didn't attempt to store the memory, simply that someone had thrown themselves in front of the arrows and the rest faded away.

"Did I say anything after that?"

"Well...yes. My valiant Sentinel...I thank you."

As if hearing the words again, the images flood back into her mind as she gasps slightly, dropping her silverware onto her plate. Jharm, he had been the man who had saved her, had taken the bolts to shield her from it, and destroying the evil men who attempted to kill her, then freeing her and Anna from their icy prisons. Anna gets a little concerned with her sisters reaction.

"Elsa, are you ok?"

The Queen looks up, gazing at the two people in front of her, a smile forming on her face.

"Yes Anna, I am ok. I think maybe I should explain what was happening. You and I were trapped in ice, and there were two...men who wanted to kill me, but at the last minute someone showed up and saved me..."

Elsa locks her gaze on the Sentinel.

"It was you...you saved me from the crossbows, diving in front of them before they could reach me. The bolts shattered off your chestplate and I had been certain you had sacrificed yourself for me, but then you got back up, and hugged me. The ice around me and Anna then simply melted away and you...you said something to me. You said...you would always be there for me. I think shortly after that I fell fully asleep again."

Anna smiles at the Sentinel then looks at her sister.

"See Elsa? I told you he would be good for you, he even protects you in your sleep."

Elsa giggles slightly as she finishes her food.

"I guess in a way you are right. Well, if you two are finished I think we should make our way to the courtyard, I am sure the good people of Arendelle want to see their heroic Princess."

Anna and Jharm get up from the table, the Sentinel bowing slightly and extending a hand to the Queen, helping her up from the chair. The three then leave the room, a servant moving past them to take the trays and plates as the sisters and Sentinel head down the hall towards the balcony overlooking the courtyard. Reaching the doorway leading to the balcony, Jharm politely opens the door, allowing the sisters to go through before following them, Anna standing to the right of Elsa, and Jharm standing a step behind Elsa on the left. The Sentinel's vision shifts around the courtyard, tables set up for the citizens to eat out, vendors placed at various spots around the wall. Guards patrolling the upper sections of the wall, and others at certain points in the courtyard. By the gate stands two men, Captain Devaron a few feet from them as they await the signal to open the gates. Jharm glances between Elsa and Anna.

"Are you ready Your Majesty? Princess?"

Both women nod and Jharm steps forward, gesturing with his hand down to the Captain who bows and turns to the men at the gates, his voice bellowing out across the yard.

"Open...the gates!"


	12. The Grand Celebration

The large reinforced gates creak on their hinges as the guards pull them open, a large cheer rising from the mass of people on the other side as they begin to move through the open gates and into the courtyard. Elsa stands at the railing patiently, silently watching as the courtyard quickly begins to fill up to capacity. After a few more moments, the Queen raises a hand, silence spreading across the courtyard as the people below spread the word that Her Majesty is about to speak.

"Good morning one and all, good people of Arendelle! Welcome to the grand celebration in honor of Princess Anna and her unwavering loyalty and devotion. Festivities will continue throughout the day until nightfall, there will be plenty of food and drink for one and all!"

Numerous cheers and huzzahs rise from the crowd as Elsa finishes speaking.

"Glory to Princess Anna!"

"We love you Princess!"  
"Long live the Queen and Princess!"

Anna responds by meekly waving to the people below before tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, Elsa smiling at her little sister. Then almost as if on queue the musicians down in the courtyard start playing, people quickly being swept up by the music and begin to dance as the courtyard thins out as people grab refreshments and head back out into the city. The queen then turns to Anna and wraps her hand around her sisters.

"Well Anna, it is your day, where would you like to go to first? We have the small trip up to the palace planned and then it is back here for the grand ball, but until then how about you lead the way?"

Ecstatic at the idea of her sister, the queen, actually following HER wishes, Anna claps her hands as a big smile stretches across her face.

"I think we need to get you out amongst the people, we need to show them how amazing your powers are! You have been alone for so many years, its time we got you out among the people."

Even though she had figured that would be Anna's response, it is evident that Elsa is still quite nervous at the idea of being around crowds of people, and displaying her powers at the same time. The last time she had been in a similar situation she had accidentally created a ring of ice spikes and launched an ice projectile at the Duke of Weselton. Sensing her sisters nervousness, Anna squeezed the Queen's hand while smiling up at her.

"Don't worry Elsa, I will be right next to you...and Jharm will be there too of course."

At mention of his name, the Sentinel bows slightly.

"Of course Princess, should you desire some space simply say the word my Queen and you shall have it."

Taking a deep breath Elsa releases it before speaking.

"Well, it is quite obvious that between the two of you, I don't have too much of a choice in the matter, so lead the way Anna."

Jharm steps up to the door and opens it, bowing as Princess and Queen walk past him and into the hallway. Following behind, he almost trips over a figure who comes running past to the door and over to the two sisters.

"Anna! Elsa!"

Turning around they see the pint-sized snowman, Olaf, running towards them, as Jharm falls to the floor as he prevents himself from falling onto the little guy. Oblivious to the mans plummet, Olaf runs up to the two women, hugging Anna's leg and getting a big hug from Elsa as she drops down to one knee. Both ladies giggle, at Olaf's antics and the Sentinels fall. Olaf turns around to see Jharm on the floor, realization spreading across the magical creatures face as he realizes what that thump had been behind him as he raced to Anna and Elsa. He hurries over to the man, helping him to his feet.

"Are you OK Sentinel?"

"Worry not Olaf, only thing injured would be my pride in this case."

The snowman smiles at the joke and then turns back to the sisters.

"So where is everyone off to?"

Elsa then realizes that she had totally forgotten to figure out when and where she would reveal the snowman's existence to the people of the city,

"Well Olaf, we were about to head down to the courtyard as Anna would like me to get out and be with the people of Arendelle."

Anna than chimes in as an idea pops into her head.

"Oh Elsa, let's have Olaf come with us! You can let people see him finally, they will love him!"

The snowman starts hopping up and down, excited at the idea of finally being out of the palace and not having to hide from everyone, his head popping off his body and bouncing up even higher before falling back down to reconnect with his body. The Queen laughs at the amusing sight.

"Well, I would say this would be as good a time as any. Just stay out of sight until I tell you to come out, OK Olaf?"

"Okie dokie Elsa, this is going to be so great!"

The group then moves down the hallway, Anna and Elsa side by side, with Jharm a few steps behind them and the little snowman a few paces behind him. As they enter the main entry hall, Jharm signals to the two guards at the main doorway, Gerome and Josper, that the Queen and Princess would be headed past them. Turning, they signal to two other guards nearby, and all 4 men exit out into the courtyard, positioning themselves outside, ready to clear a path for the royal sisters to get through the courtyard.

The two sisters continue down the steps, the Sentinel and snowman behind them. As they exit the palace, Olaf remaining inside. As the Queen steps outside, the four guards begin to move forward slowly, ushering people back into the courtyard and creating a small buffer area between them and the sisters. Elsa turns back towards Jharm and quietly speaks to him.

"Jharm...please have them stop. At least allow those who want to come closer to do so, I know you may not like it but this is something I need to do...both for myself and the people."

The Sentinel bows and moves forward, placing a hand on Geromes shoulder and speaking softly into his ear, and then doing the same to Josper, both men then pass the message on to the other two guards. The four soldiers then stop moving forward and actually step off to the side, allowing those who want to to get nearer to the Queen. Before anyone can move, a small girl with brown pigtails runs past the guards and up to Anna.

"Your Princess Anna...mommy and daddy say you are a hero! You fixed the summer! It got so cold...I didn't like it."

The girl then wraps her arms around herself and shivers as if to demonstrate her feelings. Anna smiles and crouches down, putting herself at a closer height to the little girl.

"That's right...well sort of. I didn't do it on my own...Queen Elsa was the one who actually fixed the summer...I simply helped."

As if finally realizing that the Queen herself was standing there, the girl gasps and looks at the woman, bewilderment in her eyes. Elsa cringes slightly, half expecting the girl to suddenly scream and run away. The little girl then remembers what her parents taught her to do if she should ever see the Queen and gives Elsa her best attempt at a proper curtsy.

"Thank you for fixing the summer Queen Elsa."

A man and a woman come running up, obviously the little girls parents. They bow to the sisters, a look of slight embarrassment on their faces. The father speaks up first as he removes his hat.

"I am so sorry Your Majesty...Princess, I do hope she hasn't bothered you at all."

Elsa raises a hand to calm the two down as she speaks.

"No, not at all Mr..."

"Jorgen your Majesty...Byron Jorgen, and this is my wife Lydia and that's our daughter Tanya."

Elsa smiles at the man as she continues.

"Well Mr. Jorgen, your daughter is no bother at all. She was simply thanking the Princess for all that she has done. She has actually been quite nice hasn't she Princess Anna?"

Anna shakes her head in response.

"Actually...she has been so nice I think I have a little something for her, what do you think Anna?"

A smile spreads across the Princess' face as she realizes what Elsa is probably about to give the little girl.

"Yes, I think she would like it a lot Queen Elsa."

The Queen places her hands together and a brief blue glow forms around them as she lowers herself down to eye level with Tanya. She then opens her hands, revealing a perfectly formed ice figurine of a horse. The little girls eyes grow wide at the sight, a smile stretching across her face.

"Oh wow! That's amazing! It's so pretty!"

Elsa extends her hand bearing the figurine to the girl.

"It's yours then, please take it."

The girl looks back at her parents, as if she is asking if she can actually have it, the two simply nodding. She gently takes the horse from Elsa's hand, cupping in her own smaller hands as she marvels at it.

"Thank you your Majesty, it's so pretty! I love it! What else can you do?!"

At this point some other people have seen that the Queen is speaking with the girl, and start to draw closer, wanting to see whats going on.

"Well...I can make lots of stuff with ice and snow."

Elsa then pauses as if she is thinking about something.

"Tell me Tanya...do you like building snowmen?"

Anna smiles at hearing this, hoping it means what she thinks it means. The little girl shakes her head up and down at the question.

"Of course your majesty, I love building snowmen with mommy and daddy."

"Really? Well, it would so happen I like building them too. In fact I built one a little while ago that has become somewhat special to me. Would you like to see it?"

Tanya gets a confused look on her face...how could the Queen show it to her? There wasn't any snow around to make a snowman with. Thinking maybe she would be making one like she did with the figurine the girl nods finally.

"Ok...(Elsa looks back towards Jharm) Sentinel, could you please have Olaf join us?"

Bowing, the man turns and moves back to the doorway behind them, opening it up and gesturing to someone inside to follow him. He then steps back, Olaf bouncing past him and over to Elsa, stopping a foot or so from the little girl. He waves at her with a big toothy smile on his face, his small flurry cloud appearing over his head to keep him from melting.

"Hi I'm Olaf and I like warm hugs! What is your name?"

The girl simply stares wide-eyed at the magical creature, the small crowd behind her standing in stunned silence. After a few moments the girl steps a little closer to the snowman as she reaches out to touch him, as if she wants to confirm that the living snowman IS actually standing in front of her. As her finger touches his body, she can feel the cold snow and gasps slightly as realization sinks in.

"I'm Tanya and you...your an actual snowman...and your talking...to me."

"Hi Tanya! Yep...Queen Elsa made me, isn't it great? She also gave me this (he points at the cloud over his head) so I won't melt! Isn't she just the bestest Queen ever?"

As if to prove his gratefulness to his creator, he moves over to Elsa and wraps his stick arms around her shoulders, Elsa placing her hand over his as she smiles. She looks up to see that the crowd has grown even larger as people begin to hear about the "magical snowman". She can see a few kids struggling in the crowd as they try to get closer. She gestures towards them as she glances at the Sentinel. Nodding in understanding he walks over to the crowd, and with the assistance of the guards, helps the children get through. They marvel at the living snowman in front of them, and then they also see the figurine the girl has in her hand, crafted of solid ice. Elsa smiles at the small group of children in front of her as she gets to her feet.

"Good morning children, I would like you to meet my good friend Olaf."

"Hi everyone, I'm Olaf and I like warm hugs!"

He then walks over to the group of children who excitedly circle around him. Elsa smiles, happy to see that her little creation seems to have been generally accepted so well. She then feels a slight tug on her dress, causing her to look down to see Tanya is still next to her. She kneels back down.

"Um...your Majesty? Mommy and Daddy told me you were the one who froze the summer by accident. They said you got scared and ran away but then you came back and made everything better after Princess Anna found you. They also told me you were very sorry and sad for what you had done and apologized. Mommy and Daddy always tell me that when someone makes a mistake and then apologizes that you should forgive them...so I forgive you. Besides...you fixed the summer AND you gave me this pretty horsey!"

She then scurries over to her parents and hands them the ice horse before running back to the Queen and attempting to wrap her little arms around Elsa, almost like Olaf just did. Elsa shifts slightly, allowing her to properly return the hug as tears start to slide down her face. Seeing this, Jharm moves forward and starts to break the crowd up.

"Alright everyone, back to the celebration. Lots of good food and music out there."

The four guards then follow the Sentinel's example, eventually the crowd thinning as people go on about their different ways until its just Anna, Olaf, and Tanya's parents near the two hugging figures. Elsa then releases the hug, wiping a tear from her eye as she looks at the little girl.

"Tanya, I just want to thank you for that. It meant an awful lot to me, more then you can possibly realize."

She then gently takes the little girls hand and walks over to the girls parents.

"Mr and Mrs. Jorgen, you have an amazing daughter. I greatly enjoyed speaking with her."

The two parents bow to the Queen, Tanya releasing Elsa's hand and giving another curtsy before walking over to her father, the man lifting her up and into his arms before responding.

"Thank you Your Majesty. She has been talking about how she wanted to meet you and Princess Anna ever since we told her about the party being announced."

"Well I am glad to hear she got her wish then. Now, if you will excuse me please."

The two bow to Elsa as she and Anna head off into the crowd, Jharm close behind and the two Sergeants flanking the sisters from a distance, the other two guards having been sent back to their previous posts by the Sentinel. Occasionally the sisters stop to speak with some of the people as they progress around the courtyard. Remembering how much Anna had enjoyed watching her use her powers when they were kids, Elsa tries to stop when she sees children, amazing them with brief displays of her frozen powers.

After about an hour or so, Kai comes through the crowd with Kristoff close behind him, the servant stopping next to Elsa.

"Your Majesty, the first group for the trip to your ice palace is getting ready now. They await you at the stables just outside the castle gates. Shall I have horses made ready for you and the Princess?"

"Yes, please do Kai. Kristoff, I think it safe to assume you will be riding Sven. Jharm, from what I recall I think it would be best if you handle Fury yourself."

Jharm smiles and nods as Kai hurries off to see that the sisters mounts are made ready for the trip.

"I quite agree your Majesty, though I kind of doubt any of the stablehands would even attempt to handle her at this point."

The group reaches the stables soon, after slowly working their way through the thinning crowd as people take their celebrations out into the town. Two horses are saddled up and ready, being held steady by stable hands who then assist the sisters with mounting their steeds. Jharm walks past and into the stables, heading to the pen that Fury stays in, grabbing the black saddle from its spot and placing it on the horse, who promptly tries to nuzzle the man as he enters the pen.

"Ok Fury, easy there girl, I missed you too. Ready to go for a nice ride?"

The horse shakes her head and neighs loudly. Patting her on the head he leads her outside and then expertly hops up into the saddle. The three then head out the gates, and towards the nearby stables. A small group of people, made up of Arendelle citizens and some of the nobles, waits patiently for the sisters, Gerome and two guards having been assigned as protection for the group for the trip, and Kristoff is also near, sitting atop Sven. The people see the Queen and Princess approaching and bow their heads, Elsa nodding in return.

"I do hope you have not been waiting long. As promised, you will be the first ones to see the ice palace I created up in the mountains. Mr. Bjorgman shall be our guide up there, so if you would please lead the way then."

Kristoff waves to everyone and then turns Sven and leads the group out of the city and up into the mountains. After about 2 hours or so, they round the final bend and the people get their first sight of the majestic ice palace, the sunlight reflecting off the icy walls. Elsa can hear a few gasps and whistles as people are amazed by the sight in front of them. The Queen moves her horse forward, stopping a little in front of everyone and dismounting, creating a few posts for everyone to hitch their horses to.

The Sentinel gazes up at the palace as they draw near, his mind returning to the last time he had been here. He had been the first to volunteer to go with Hans to rescue the Princess (and he also hoped to find the Queen and make sure she was safe). Duke Weasel had also volunteered his two goons to go with, their true motive being made apparent when Jharm noticed the arrows scattered around the upper floor after Elsa had been knocked out by the falling ice chandelier. As if reliving that moment, he could almost feel the anger building within him, his right fist clenching. He still didn't really recall what happened after that, other than the next thing he knew, he was being pulled away from the two men by the other guards, one of the thugs sporting a black eye and a busted lip.

"Sentinel...Jharm...are you ok?"

Jharm shakes his head, bringing himself back to the present to see Elsa standing before him, a small look of concern on her face. The rest of the group moving up the stairs and into the entry hall of the palace, Anna and Kristoff in the lead.

"Is something wrong?"

"No...just...remembering my last visit to this place..."

Elsa easily understands what the man means. His fight with Marshmallow as she fought with the Dukes men. Having read the note about his actions after realizing what Weasel's men had tried, as well as his devotion to protecting her, she could safely assume the feelings he was having. Reaching out, she gently places her hand on his arm.

"It's ok Jharm...they didn't succeed, and you are here now so there is nothing to fear. Now Sentinel, I believe it is time we rejoin the others.

Giving the man a small smile, Elsa resumes her Queenly attitude as she turns and heads for the stairs, the Sentinel following close behind. They enter the entry hall to see the rest of the group have moved to the large ice fountain in front of the grand staircase leading upwards. Elsa starts to move towards the rest of the group as Jharm hangs a short distance behind, marvelling at the intricate designs, his last visit being a little too...hectic to enjoy the sights. A growl suddenly is heard from the top of the staircase as a figure steps out from the doorway leading to the upstairs. The Sentinel instantly recognizes the figure as the giant snow creature he faced the last time he was here. Steel gray eyes lock with empty eye sockets as the snow creature also recognizes the guard as one of the men who had attacked him. The creature emits a bellow as it leaps off the balcony, landing a short distance behind Elsa, facing the Sentinel as spikes of ice sprout from its back. At the same time Jharm pulls his sword from its sheath, the blade gleaming as he waits for the monster to make the first move.

A voice then rings out across the room.

"That...will be ENOUGH!"

The coldness and seriousness contained within the words is enough to stop both beings in their tracks and turn towards the source, Queen Elsa. While her face is her queenly emotionless mask, her eyes tell a different story. While usually bright icy blue, they now almost seem to have gotten darker, like the sky before a major storm. The Sentinel's blade lowers and the creatures spikes and claws retract at the sight.

"Your blade Sentinel..."

Jharm wordlessly sheathes his sword as he glances between the Queen and the snow man before him. The absolute power and command behind Elsa's words immediately pacifying both adversaries. She then turns to the bewildered and confused nobles and citizens around the fountain.

"I apologize to you all for that display. It would seem I had not accounted for the behavior of some..."

Both man and creature realize that she is quite displeased with them and almost seem to shrink slightly at the words. Elsa seamlessly shifts gears back to her normal cheerful attitude as she continues speaking.

"I would like to introduce you to Marshmallow. He is the curator for the palace. He will be the one who will be giving tours to any visitors after today

In an attempt to make up for his previous mistake, the creatures face turns up into a slight grin as he waves at them all, some of the men and women wave back.

"Marshmallow, would you please show these good people the upstairs for me?"

The snowman bows to the Queen and then heads for the stairs before turning back to the group.

"Please, follow me."

His voice, deep and gravelly, echoes off the walls slightly as he gestures for the people to follow him. After a few moments, the group follows him up to the next floor, Anna and Kristoff bringing up the rear, the Princess gazing back towards the Sentinel and Queen as she wonders what her sister is going to say to the man. The two wait in silence, Elsa moving over to the ice fountain while Jharm remains at the same spot he was at when Marshy landed. A few moments after the last person has left the room Elsa finally speaks up.

"You don't have to stay over there Sentinel. Please come closer."

Obeying her wish Jharm moves up to the fountain until he is a few steps away from the Queen, but remains silent. Eventually it is Elsa that breaks the silence.

"I am sorry for doing that to you Jharm, I should have warned you that Marshmallow had shown back up when we came up here the last time. I didn't realize he would react to seeing you like that."

The Sentinel chuckles slightly at hearing this.

"Well I did throw a spear into his arm the last time we met, I can't exactly blame him for not thinking too highly of me."

Elsa turns to the man next to her, looking up into his eyes. The man can see some concern hidden behind the clear blue pools gazing at him.

"What is it Elsa?"

"You understand why I had to do what I did right?"

_Great Elsa, you find a man who seems genuinely interested in you and then you promptly humiliate him in front of a group of nobles. He can't possibly appreciate that..._

Jharm gives the woman in front of him a reassuring smile as he realizes what she is worried about.

"You did what you had to do. If you think one slight public scolding will affect my feelings towards you, well...I am not one to tell Her Majesty she is wrong but...yeah."

Elsa can't help but give a small laugh at Jharms "proper" way to dismiss her worry. Jharm then gestures towards the stairs as he bows.

"Now, I am sure your guests will wonder where you are at my Queen. Shall we return to them?"

Elsa smiles and nods as she heads for the stairs. Unknown to them, a certain red-headed princess had eavesdropped on the two the whole time, a large smile on her face as she raced up the stairs back to Kristoff before her sister and the Sentinel could catch her in the act. The rest of the trip passes without any issues, the visitors complimenting the Queen on the amazing building and most eventually warming up to Marshmallow as he seems to almost become more of a Snow Butler then a monster. With the trip a success the group makes the return journey back to Arendelle, arriving with time to spare before the ball is scheduled to begin. Though it is getting into the evening there is still a decent number of peasants celebrating out on the streets and in the courtyard. Vildayvin meets the sisters and Jharm just inside the palace, bowing to Elsa and Anna as they make their way back through the royal wing of the castle to their rooms to freshen up before making their appearance at the ball. Father and son head up the main stairs and into the Captain's office, each taking a seat at Vil's desk.

"Good evening Sentinel, how was the journey to Her Majesty's ice palace?"

"It was quite a success Captain, though there was a small incident between myself and the curator."

"The...curator?"

"Yep...remember the snow creature I told you about before? Well he apparently survived the fall off the cliff and showed back up when Elsa and Anna made their trip up there a few days ago. Well I had not been aware of his change in demeanor...or his survival, so naturally I was a little shocked when he showed up at the top of the staircase. He didn't expect to see me either I think it is safe to say because next thing anyone knew, he and I were almost toe-to-toe and about to fight before Her Majesty stopped us in her tracks."

"I would think she probably was not too pleased by either of your actions."

"That...would be putting it simply I would say. I'll be quite honest Captain...all it took was one sentence and I swear it almost felt like I had no control over my own muscles."

Vildayvin chuckles at hearing of this.

"Well...having known her father, she had the perfect teacher. The late King, rest his grand soul, could

make the most troublesome noble fall silent with a simple look, he had that majestic and powerful of a presence. He always joked I was probably one of the only people outside of Her Majesty that was resistant to its effect, though I always did my best never to let that be apparent. Perhaps one day you will find the same thing to be true with yourself and Queen Elsa."

"Well I guess we will see in time."

"Yes, I think we will. Now...tell me, how are you and Her Majesty doing...personally? A little bird tells me that you and Elsa finally spoke about how you each feel and it went...well."

"Well...your "little bird" would be correct. We share similar feelings for each other but at Elsas request, nothing..."official" will be made just yet. She didn't want to risk such an announcement overshadowing Princess Anna's special celebration."

Vildayvin smiles and nods at the information. He gets up from the desk and walks to the door, opening it and gesturing out to the hall.

"Well I am certainly VERY pleased to hear of the news Sentinel. Shall we be off to check on the security of the ball? I am sure Her Majesty and the Princess will be ready to show up soon."

The two men head down the stairs and around the corner to the large doors leading into the grand ballroom, two guards positioned at the entrance. The men salute the two high-ranking men as they walk past them. Numerous nobles and other VIP's stand around the room talking, sipping on champagne and other fancy drinks, a band in the corner playing music as people dance at the end of the room nearest to the royal throne.

The two men glance around, seeing that the guards are all in their assigned positions around the room. A hand comes to rest on the Sentinel's arm, the man turning to see Kai standing next to him. The servant gestures towards the door close to the throne, the one that the Queen and Princess would be coming from, signaling that he was about to announce their entrance. Nodding his understanding, Jharm moves across the room, positioning himself near the throne as Kai steps onto the raised platform the throne sits on. The band stops playing as they see this and the room grows quiet.

"Presenting...Queen Elsa of Arendelle and Princess Anna of Arendelle."

The side door opens and Elsa walks in, everyone in the room bowing to her, Anna following a short distance behind her older sister. Once both women are in place, the people end their bows and the music starts playing again. A few moments later one of the nobles makes their way up to Elsa, bowing low as he speaks. It is the same noble she had put in his place over the issue of her imprisoning Prince Hans.

"Good evening your Majesty. I would like to humbly ask for your hand in this dance."

Not liking the idea of having to dance with the man, Elsa attempts to think of a way to turn the man down without risking any kind of issue. Unfortunately unlike the last ball, Anna had wandered off to find Kristoff (Josper and Gerome seemingly stepping from within the crowd to follow a short distance behind at of course) and thus was not available to swap places with. Before she knew what she was saying she blurted out a response.

"I do apologize good sir, but the Sentinel has already asked me, and I said yes."

"Oh...of course Your Majesty."

The man bows again and walks back into the crowd, watching to see if the Queen was actually telling the truth. Meanwhile Jharm has obviously heard what Elsa just said and panick is running through his head.

_Wait WHAT? Is she insane? I told her I don't know how to dance...is she trying to embarrass herself?_

Elsa turns and extends her hand to the Sentinel, who takes it and steps up next to her, speaking softly so only she can hear.

"Your Majesty, are you serious? I would prefer not to risk embarrassing you in front of everyone, I can't dance, remember?"

"I know...but it was the only thing I could think of...I panicked I am sorry."

Elsa then comes up with a possible idea to try and help the poor man.

"Listen to me...I know how skilled you are with a blade. My father always told me how some of the most skilled swordsman almost danced as they swung their blade. Think of it that way...you can do this."

The man sighs as he attempts to relax himself as he looks at the Queen.

"As you wish. I hope you know though that you are the ONLY person that could convince me to actually do this..."

Elsa smiles at hearing this as the current song ends and the music stops as people clap and the band prepares itself for the next song. The snubbed noble glares from the far wall, hoping that the Queen's little lie reveals itself, giving him a perfect chance to cause trouble for her. To his dismay, the Queen and Sentinel move off the raised platform and make for the center of the room. The floor begins to clear as everyone becomes interested in seeing Her Majesty and the Sentinel, hand in hand in the center of the floor. The Queen looks into the Sentinel's eyes.

"Are you ready Sentinel?"

The man responds by bowing to the Queen, who nods in return and then turns towards the band, gesturing to them to start the song. As the first notes start, Elsa guides Jharm's hands to their proper position as the man closes his eyes momentarily as he focuses.

_Focus...clear your mind...become one...with the blade._

* * *

When he opens his eyes he no longer sees himself in a ballroom with nobles gazing upon him expectantly. He stands in the middle of the castle courtyard with a fencing blade in hand, no one else in sight except for one person...Elsa who stands before him. No longer wearing the fancy ice dress, she is instead clad in black leather pants, boots, and a light blue tunic, her hair down in the french braid she prefers when not at a royal function. She is armed with the same style blade as Jharm has. For a brief second he thinks about how beautiful she looks before he bows to her and the two cross blades and begin to move back and forth, the swords singing through the air as the two dance back and forth.

* * *

To the amazement of everyone...Elsa included, as the first notes of the song start, the Sentinel closes his eyes and then a second later opens them up and the two begin to dance. Masterfully the Sentinel moves with the Queen across the floor, the pair providing a breathtaking sight. With the Queen's extensive dance tutoring while growing up and the Sentinel's...insight, the duo make for a thrilling sight. The band begins to play faster, changing the song up in an attempt to try to follow with the sight before them.

The crowd of onlookers seem almost spellbound as the Queen and Sentinel spin, pirouette, and gracefully move around the floor, to such an extent that one would swear that they must have practiced together for many years. This of course was quite far from the truth as Elsa hadn't danced with anyone since she was a young girl, she had always been too worried about accidentally hurting someone, and as for Jharm...he had been too focused on his guard duties and training to ever attempt to learn something he felt he would never need.

* * *

The two blades sing through the air, the sound of steel clashing against steel ringing through the empty courtyard as the two sword fighters continue dancing around and dodging each others blades. Never before had Jharm faced such a masterful...and attractive opponent. Every swing of his blade was met with a block or parry of her blade...and every swing of her blade was met with a similar response of his own. The dance of steel continued on, the only sound to be heard is the swish of steel through air and the clang of blade against blade, neither fighter seemingly tiring or showing any sign of exertion. Seconds seemed to grow into minutes and minutes kept rolling on, neither combatant showing any sign of weakness or desire to admit defeat. A thought then entered the Sentinel's head.

_Impossible...I believe I may have to admit we are at a draw, I do not feel I can truly defeat her_

Suddenly the two lock blades, and in the blink of an eye Jharm launches both blades up into the air, the swords separating and landing behind each combatant, sticking into the ground.

"I believe we are at a draw m'lady. I can not hope to defeat you...and you can't defeat me."

As if in answer, Elsa smiles and bows to the Sentinel, the man returning a bow as well as he reaches for her hand and places a kiss onto it.

* * *

The band begins to tire as they continue the song, the two dancers showing no sign of stopping. Eventually the leader of the musical group signals to the others to head to the end of the song. As the final note plays, the Sentinel spins the Queen like a top, the woman continuing the spin for about 10 seconds before the man expertly stops her by gently grabbing her hand and bowing as he places a kiss onto her hand. Silence hangs in the room for a few seconds then suddenly applause rocks the room as everyone present begins to clap their hands at the amazing display they just watched. Jharm's eyes seem to come back into focus at this point as he looks around the room and then to Elsa. Judging from the glowing smile on her face and from the applause, he figures he must have done decently well. Extending his hand, he guides the Queen back up to the throne as the applause continues for a few seconds longer.

Elsa turns to Jharm once the music starts back up and everyone returns to what they were doing beforehand.

"I take it my suggestion was helpful?"

The Sentinel recalls what he had visualized, the majestic demonstration of swordplay between him and the woman he spoke with now. He smiles as he thinks about it.

"Well, since both of your feet seem to be uninjured and I have not been thrown from the room for disgracing dancing in general I would say yes it worked."

The Queen giggles slightly at the man's humble, and slightly sarcastic response.

"I have a feeling you don't recall just how well we danced."

The man seems to hesitate, as if he is attempting to properly answer the statement. He knew how well they had "danced" in the courtyard...and if they danced that well in reality then it must have been quite phenomenal, but how to explain it to her without sounding strange. He then offers his hand to Elsa as he speaks.

"Would you care to go for a walk Your Majesty?"

Elsa raises an eyebrow slightly at the strange response to what she said, but liking the idea of getting some fresh air after what they just did she accepted his hand and the two left through the side door and down into the courtyard and out to the docks. Reaching an open bench, Jharm takes off his duster and places it onto the wooden seat and gesturing for Elsa to sit on top of it. She smiles at his gentlemanly maneuver as she sits down, the Sentinel following suit. He then begins to explain to her what he had visualized while they danced, the smile on Elsa's face getting bigger at hearing his description of what was going on...and of her.

* * *

A short distance away a man with a black goatee and clad in the uniform of the Captain of the Guard stood in the shadows, watching the two talk quietly and laugh. Two guards were a short distance behind him, keeping that area of the dock clear of any onlookers, though at the present hour there weren't too many people out on the docks anyways. He then watched as the man on the bench stopped talking and look at the woman before him and then start to lean forward ever so slightly but then stop. Elsa says something to him, probably something encouraging him because then he continues leaning forward and the two kiss. Vildayvin can't help but smile at the sight as he thinks to himself.

_Well my old friend, I don't think this was something either of us would have ever thought possible. Of course there were a few things neither of us had expected...I wish you were still here to see how majestic and beautiful your daughters have become. You would be so proud of them both. I feel you would be happy for them right now._

He watches as Jharm stands up, offering his hand to help the Queen to her feet before picking up his coat and thumping it to get any dust and dirt off of it. The Captain turns and heads down the docks before either of the two can spot him, motioning for the two guards to follow him.

**Authors note: Sorry for the extra long length, this chapter is pretty much tying up a bunch of stuff and I couldn't really find a spot I liked to try and split it into separate chapters. I hope you enjoy the story so far, the next chapter will be having Kristoff get his new title, as well as cover the handling of Hans and Duke Weasel and his two goons. Please leave reviews, always nice to know when people are enjoying what they read :)**


	13. Exile

"Your positive you are ready for this Your Majesty?"

The Sentinel glanced over at the Queen, looking to see any sign if she had changed her mind. It was the morning of the day after Princess Anna's grand party, and shortly Queen Elsa would pass judgement on Prince Hans for his attempts at killing both Anna and Elsa during the Great Thaw. Elsa had chosen to wear the outfit she wore for her coronation, feeling that it was one of her more solemn dresses, and Jharm had resumed wearing his normal Sentinel attire. Elsa looked up at the man next to her, giving him a reassuring smile and squeezing his hand slightly.

"Thank you for your concern Sentinel but this has been delayed long enough as it is. Besides, I am sure Anna will feel a lot better knowing that...man is no longer within the palace, I know I will."

Jharm nods at this, as he was also not too fond of having Hans remain in Arendelle any longer then necessary. The Sentinel cracks the door open enough to see Kai to signal to him that Elsa was ready. Moving to the platform bearing the royal throne, Kai stands in silence as the slight chatter throughout the room dies down. Once it has grown quiet he proceeds.

"I present...Queen Elsa of Arendelle."

Jharm opens the door, allowing the Queen through and following a short distance behind. The people in the room, both nobles of Arendelle and some visitors who had chosen to remain at port until after the celebration, bowed as they entered the room. Reaching her position in front of her throne, Elsa nods to everyone.

"Thank you all for coming. I know some of you are needing to be on your way as soon as possible so I will not delay things any further."

Sitting down in the throne she waves to Kai to continue.

"Bring forth...the prisoner!"

The main doors to the room open up and a squad of guards march in with Hans. Two guards in front with Hans just behind them, his hands manacled behind his back, and two guards behind him...all 4 guards armed with swords at their waists. They stops a short distance in front of the throne, the two front guards moving to the side so the Queen is able to see Hans clearly. Kai unrolls a scroll he held in his hands and begins to read from it.

"Prince Hans, you are hereby charged with attempted regicide towards Princess Anna and Queen Elsa of Arendelle. How do you attempt to plea?"

Hans looks up at Elsa, anger and hate plain on his face. He was a Prince of the Southern Isles, and here he was being marched before the Queen like some sort of common criminal.

"Not guilty...that...witch is no Queen so there could be no regicide."

Elsa's face remains calm and passive but Jharm can't keep a scowl from spreading across his face at hearing how this man dared to speak to his Queen and love. The only thing that kept him from moving forward and expressing his disgust was the promise he had made to Elsa beforehand.

-About 2 hours ago-

Elsa and Jharm walk through the palace gardens holding hands, the Queen desiring to clear her mind before the upcoming trial. She stops suddenly and turns to the Sentinel, taking his hands in her own.

"Jharm...I need you to promise me something here and now."

The man turns and gazes into her blue eyes, nodding for her to please continue.

"Promise me that if Hans should attempt to be...troublesome during the trial that you will hold back any anger or hostility towards him. I know how you can be to anyone who shows disrespect towards me or Anna and the last thing Arendelle needs is its Sentinel to be pried off a beaten and unconscious foreign prince...things are tense enough as it is."

The Sentinel smiles and bows down, placing a kiss on Elsa's hand.

"As you wish my Queen. I promise I will not lay a hand on the man or even speak to him except to ensure your direct safety."

Elsa smiles as her cheeks blush slightly. Hearing that phrase of his followed by the gentlemanly kiss made all worry fade from within the woman. She knew he would rather die then fail in such a promise that he precluded with that phrase.

"Thank you my Sentinel, it makes me feel much better to hear it."

-Present-

Elsa looks over at Kai and nods her head for him to continue. The man clears his throat and continues reading from the scroll.

"You plead not guilty. Is there anyone present that would offer anything in this mans defense?"

The room is completely silent as Hans looks around, his eyes resting on the ambassador from Dunnshire who had been arguing with Elsa on his behalf before. Their eyes locked for a moment...and then the noble shook his head side to side and turned away. Originally he had fought with the Queen that she had overstepped her bounds in imprisoning the Prince, and he had even called into question the reliability of Anna's accusation. He could still remember the fury within the Snow Queen's eyes when he had dared insult her little sister to her face. He had originally doubted her ability to rule but he realized then and there that he had been wrong, and since then he had spent almost a week in Arendelle.

He had heard more then enough from citizens and some of the other nobles to realize that the Princess

was not lying. He had also been at the ball, and had witnessed the breath-taking sight of the dance between Her Majesty and her Sentinel. While he knew that his decision could lead to some trouble with the Southern Isles, he could not defend the man any more, and especially not when he would behave in such a way in front of so many nobles and during his own trial.

Hans couldn't believe his eyes...Dunnshire and the Southern Isles held strong ties with each other and yet the man was now refusing to come to his defense, and to make matters worse...no one at all was even attempting to help him...silence still spread through the room. He turned back, glaring once more at Elsa as Kai speaks up.

"Presently no evidence is being brought forth to prove your innocence."

The man looks to Queen Elsa as he pauses. She nods at him and then stands up, moving to the edge of the platform and folding her hands in front of her as she speaks.

"Prince Hans, you attempted to kill both me and my sister and seize control of Arendelle for yourself. I hereby find you guilty of attempted regicide. While such a crime calls for death, I shall show you mercy. You are hereby exiled from these shores forever. You will be placed on a vessel and taken back to your home immediately, never to return. If you do, your life will be forfeit. Guards, remove this man at once please."

The guards bow to the Queen then turn around, marching Hans back out of the room as Jharm steps forward so that he is next to Elsa. The Queen turns and speaks softly to the man.

"Sentinel...please assist them with escorting that man and Weselton's men to their ships."

Thumping his fist over his heart and bowing, Jharm follows after the group as the Queen gestures to Kai to follow the man and then turns and leaves the room. He exits the palace and sees that the men are waiting for him, Hans and Weselton's two bodyguards surrounded by four men each, the Duke standing nearby. Jharm signals to the two groups to proceed and they beginning marching out of the courtyard and through the streets towards the docks, Jharm and Kai moving up to the group securing Hans. Reaching the vessel that will be bearing the man back to his country, Jharm grabs the Prince by his shoulder and guides him out of the group and up the gangway onto the ship, one of the guards following with a set of keys in hand. Reaching a cell at the back of the ship, the guard unfastens the manacles, then Jharm roughly pushes the man into the cell, slamming the gate shut behind him. Hans pulls himself up to his feet and glares at the man.

"You think you have heard the last of me Sentinel? Your...Queen has humiliated me, I will not forget it."

Jharm puts his face close to the bars as he whispers in response.

"You try anything and you will not live to regret it, I promise you that."

He then turns and heads back to the plank leading down to the dock as the second group draws close. Jharm can already hear the Duke causing trouble, demanding to speak with the Queen. He watches as Kai steps forward and reads a proclamation to the Duke stating that Arendelle will no longer trade with "Weaseltown" any more. Both the news and the intentional mis-pronounciation of his town infuriates the Duke as the men escort him and his bodyguards back onto their ship.

"It's WESELTON!"

Jharm walks down and places a hand on Kai's shoulder as he laughs.

"Well done Kai, I do believe you have upset the little man. Shall we return to the castle?"

The servant chuckles as he gestures for Jharm to lead the way. The two head back through the streets, when they spot Anna pulling Kristoff behind her, a blindfold around the mans head. Unfortunately Anna is in such a hurry that she accidentally guides the man right into a metal pole, both Sentinel and servant wincing as they can hear the sound of the pole vibrating from the collision. Guiding the poor man around the pole, the Princess takes off again. Jharm looks back the way she came and see's Josper a few steps behind as the guard hurries to keep up with the two. Wondering where the Princess could be going in such a hurry, Jharm motions to Kai to head back to the palace as he turns and follows behind Josper. Eventually Anna reaches an area of the marketplace where a large wooden sled sits, an intricate snowflake carved onto the front.

Stopping the ice-harvester a few feet from the sled she claps her hands together but then realizes she left the blindfold on, promptly pulling it off and saying something to the man. It is obvious he is quite shocked as Jharm chuckles to himself as the man's jaw hits the ground, metaphorically speaking. The two then exchange words as Kristoff lifts the Princess into the air, a giant smile on his face. Apparently he says something embarrassing though and tries to make up for it but Anna giggles and then suddenly the two kiss. As they separate, Anna happens to look behind Kristoff and sees the black duster of the Sentinel, a brief look of surprise on her face as she didn't realize the man had been there, surprise turning to concern as she is unsure if the man will step forward and say something about the man kissing the Princess like that. The Sentinel simply smiles and bows as he turns and leaves, having no intention of getting between the two lovers, especially seeing as how Anna has been so instrumental in getting him and Elsa together.

Heading back towards the palace, Jharm can't help but notice a large flow of people heading into the castle. Moving his way through the small crowd he reaches the courtyard and sees Elsa standing near the center. At some point she had changed her clothes to the Ice dress she had returned to Arendelle wearing during the Great Thaw. She glances over the crowd, her eyes settling on the Sentinel as he moves towards the front.

"Are you ready?"

Cheers and applause rise from the crowd. Elsa then lifts her skirt a little and taps her glass shoe in the ground, ice quickly forming and spreading over the ground until the entire ground has a layer of ice on top of it. She then gestures towards the two fountains flanking her, freezing the water into intricate ice displays and launches a ball of ice into the air which explodes in a flash of blue light as snow begins to slowly fall from the sky. It would seem that the Queen must have had some kind of announcement made as some of the citizens have strapped on ice skates and begin skating around the courtyard. Jharm can't help but let a look of awe spread across his face as the beautiful display. He slowly works his way over to Elsa, attempting to prevent from falling on his butt and embarrassing himself. Going a little pass Elsa, he sits down on the frozen fountain as Anna reaches them, sliding into Elsa's arms.

"I like the open gates.

"We are never closing them again."

With a wiggle of her fingers, Elsa creates a pair of ice skates on Anna's feet.

"Elsa they're beautiful but you know I don't -"

Not letting her sister finish the sentence, Elsa gently grabs Anna's hands and pulls her forward.

"Come on! You can do it!"

Jharm smiles as he watches Anna attempt to keep her balance when Olaf comes sliding across the ice and bounces against her legs, stabilizing her.

"That's it Olaf"

The two then slowly start skating in a circle between the fountains, Olaf a little behind them.

"Glide and pivot...glide and pivot."

Eventually, Elsa lets Anna go as the Princess slowly skates over to Kristoff, who was busy attempting to keep Sven from sliding into anyone as the reindeer made his own attempt at "skating". The Queen moves and sits down on the fountain next to Jharm.

"Well, what do you think Sentinel?"

"Well Your Majesty, I must say it was quite a surprise, and seems to have worked like a charm."

He then motions over to Anna and Kristoff who are both now attempting to guide Sven around on the ice.

"They certainly seem to be enjoying it. I must say, they seem perfect for each other."

Elsa laughs a little as she turns to the man.

"I take it you fully approve of the ice harvester being near Anna now?"

"Certainly...he has shown that he cares as much for your sister as I care for you."

As if to demonstrate what he means, he rests his hand on top of Elsa's, the silver ring gleaming on his index finger as he had decided to stop wearing the black gloves all the time. The Queen smiles at the gesture.

"Well, at least now they can be more open about their feelings since Kristoff is now the official Ice Master and Deliverer."

Realization spreads across the Sentinel's face at hearing this.

"I see...that must be what I had seen. I happened upon the Princess and Mr. Bjorgman in the marketplace as I returned from the docks, Anna was presenting him with a new sled I believe, I was too far away to hear anything but next thing I knew they kissed. She saw me and I think she was a little worried I would interfere."

Elsa had gone back to watching her sister skating with Kristoff, but then turned back to Jharm at hearing that, slight concern on her face.

"I hope you didn't."

Jharm can't help but laugh at Elsa's response.

"Why would I? Like I said, they seem perfect for each other and quite frankly...if it wasn't for the Princess we would still be hiding our feelings for each other.

She smiles as she recalls the beginnings of their whirlwind relationship and Annas enthusiastic response to the news. The smile fades though as another thought muscles in, something that would pop into her mind at times but she would force back into the darkest recesses of her mind. The Sentinel doesn't miss the Queen's sudden change, his own smile fading.

"Is something wrong my Queen?"

Elsa looks at him, the expression on her face revealing that she wanted to tell him...but also didn't want to tell him.

_How could I possibly tell him? Would he understand my concern, or would he see it as a sign that I do not trust him and not want to have anything to do with me? Conceal...don't feel...no! I lost 13 years with Anna doing that. Never again..._

Releasing the breath she was holding, Elsa let the words out that she had been holding back.

"Can I talk with you...in private? Please?"

Jharm's expression changes from slight concern to puzzlement, but then simply nods as he gets to his feet, extending a hand to help the Queen to her feet as well.

"Shall we head back inside?"

The pair move the short distance between the fountains and the entrance to the palace in silence, not a word passing between them as they pass through the entry hall and into the now vacant throne room. Elsa moves over to the open side door that leads out onto a balcony before Jharm finally speaks up as they exit out onto the balcony, overlooking the ocean.

"Elsa, what is it? Tell me...please."

She turns around, a nervous look on her face as she speaks up.

"I'm not sure how to even speak of it, you will surely think I have lost my mind or something."

Wrapping her arms around herself, a signal the man has learned means she is extremely nervous and worried, and gazes out across the ocean once more, her mind attempting to put her thoughts into the proper words. The Sentinel walks up to the woman, his large, muscular frame dwarfing her as his hand

enveloped her chin. Gently he turned her head until her eyes gazed up into his.

"Elsa...you can talk to me about anything. I will always be here for you."

The kind words bolster her spirits but also makes what she is about to say seem even crazier in her mind. With a deep breath she finally opens up.

"Would you still love me even if I wasn't Queen...or even royalty?"

A look of surprise spreads across Jharm's face at the question. He remains in a stunned silence as his mind processes the question.

_If she wasn't Queen? She couldn't be thinking of running away again? If so...why?!_

"I'm not sure I understand...are you thinking of abdicating?!"

"No! I mean...if I wasn't ruler of Arendelle, didn't have a crown upon my head and all the power it symbolized, was just a normal citizen of the empire and we met...would you still have fallen for me?"

As if to demonstrate what she means, Elsa lifts the ice crown from her blond head and gently places it down on the nearby railing. Confusion is still evident on the mans face, such a question was definitely not what he had expected to hear but nevertheless his response is quick.

"If the only thing you would "lose" was being royalty then...yes. Why do you ask this though?"

"It's just that...things have moved so quickly between us. The last time we [Anna and Elsa] experienced such a fast moving relationship it...I'm just afraid..."

The Sentinel could see that whatever the Queen was trying to say pained her to even think about, the words not even able to spring forth from her lips. A thought then worked its way into his mind.

_The last time...fast moving relationship...wait...Hans. _

"Oh..."

Realization spreads across the mans face as he "connects the dots" in his head. Elsa stops trying to finish her sentence as it becomes evident the man now understands what it was she was trying to say. She gazes up at him, attempting to gauge his feelings, but his face being a blank slate as he turns and walks to the end of the veranda, resting his hands on the railing as he seems to ponder to himself. Fear begins to spread through the woman as she walks up behind the man, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Jharm...please don't think I..."

Turning around he places a finger over the woman's lips silencing her before she can finish. His face still not showing any sign of emotion he finally speaks.

"While I am slightly hurt at the thought that you don't fully trust me...I do understand your concern. The last fast-moving relationship you and Anna experienced ended with the man revealing it was all a plot to seize the throne. If it would make you feel better, we can end it right here and now...go back to simply Sentinel and Queen."

Blue eyes meet gray, the look on Jharm's face reveals that he is serious about what he says...but the look in his eyes shows even more. She can see the fear within the steely gaze, fear that she might accept his offer. A solitary tear slides down her face as she realizes this.

"Oh Jharm..."

She launches herself into the large form of the man in front of her, the two embracing in a deep hug, a few tears sliding down both of their faces.

"I'm sorry I even doubted you for a second. You have only ever shown care and loyalty to me and Anna and I..."

Running his hand up and down the woman's back, Jharm interrupts her mid-sentence.

"Stop right there...like I said, I understand your concern. You worry about the safety and security of your country and its people, and after past experiences it would only be natural to be wary."

Releasing her from the hug, he walks over to the crown still sitting on the railing and carries it back over to Elsa. As he speaks, he gently places it back onto her head, the gleaming ice resting within her platinum blond locks.

"You are Queen of Arendelle and rightfully so, I have no interest or desire to ever see that change. I love you for who you are...not for what you are."

Wiping a stray tear from her eye, Elsa smiles as he places the crown back on her head, the truth of his words clear on his face. Reaching up she caresses his left cheek, feeling the bumps and ridges of the scar before she pulls him to her and the two kiss deeply.


	14. Bloodshed

An old man sits upon a throne on a raised dais. He is clad in a white dress shirt and a pair of black pants and black boots, and a crown rests upon his head. The room is dimly lit as the hour is late and the moon is hidden behind clouds. Before him stands a man, his hands locked in manacles and surrounded by four guards. The man on the throne leans on one of the arms as he rubs his worn hand on his chin, seemingly thinking to himself. The room hangs in utter silence for minutes until he finally speaks up.

"If your mother was still alive...she would be so ashamed of you Hans."

Hans attempts to speak up but is quickly silenced with a wave of the kings hands.

"Enough! You attempted to KILL the Queen of Arendelle and her sister! Damnable boy...thats regicide! Do you realize that Queen Elsa would have been fully within her rights and powers to have executed you on the spot?! Not to mention the backlash against our kingdom! Arendelle is our main source of ice during the summer months...she could simply cut us off like she has done to Weselton! Even worse...she could view it as an act by us to seize her kingdom and count it as a declaration of WAR!"

He slams his fist down on the arm of the throne, anger clear on his weathered old face. He then pulls out a piece of folded parchment bearing the broken seal of Dunnshire and waves it in his hand.

"Then I also receive word from the ambassador of Dunnshire about your actions! Our closest and most important ally writes to me to inform me [he reads from the paper]:

"_...must call into question the sanity and wellness of your son. My ambassador has informed me that Hans not only attempted to usurp the throne of the Queen of Arendelle, but assassinate both the Queen and the Princess. Then at his own trial he ranted like a mad man, directly insulting the Queen and generally behaving in a manner unfitting of royalty. This concerns me greatly as we are close allies and I have even received comments about my ambassador trying to initially defend the man before rightly being put in his place. I am not fond of having to clean up problems for my own kingdom that were brought on by someone else. I trust that you will promptly and adequately handle this issue."_

He then looks up from the paper as he glares at his son. Hans speaks up at this.

"Father it is all lies! I tell you, Queen Elsa is a witch! She is responsible for freezing her own country, almost wiping it out! She is a danger to us all!"

Crumpling the parchment in his hand, the man steps off the platform and walks up to Hans. In one swift movement he brings his hand up and slaps the young man across the face, sending him to the floor. The guards silently reach down and haul Hans back to his feet.

"Silence! I don't give a DAMN what you claim she is! I have already heard the news of her powers. That does NOT give you any right to do anything! Then to top it all off, Queen Elsa HERSELF sends me a kind note detailing what has all come to pass."

One of the guards pulls a note out of his jacket, the broken seal of Arendelle on it as he hands it to the king who reads from it as well.

_I hope this letter finds you well King Mathis. I wish the reasons for me writing this letter would be of more acceptable terms but sadly they are not. I wish to inform you of your son Hans and his actions and behavior in my kingdom during his recent visit to attend my coronation. As you have no doubt already learned, during the ball I revealed my ability to control the elements of winter, and in fear of endangering the good people of Arendelle I fled into the mountains. It was only through my sisters unwavering devotion and love that I learned how to properly control my powers and reverse my mistakes. During all of this though your son attempted to assassinate both myself and Princess Anna in a bid to seize control of Arendelle for himself. _

_As you are no doubt aware, such a crime is punishable by immediate execution without trial. My father spoke highly of you during my lessons as a child, about how you were a wise and benevolent king. With this in mind, and not wanting to strain relations between the Isles and Arendelle any more then they have, I have decided to exile your son from Arendelle forever in lieu of execution. While I would welcome you or your other sons, I must state Hans will never again be allowed within the borders of my country. I hope with time, we will be able to properly mend the strained relations of our two countries._

_ Queen Elsa of Arendelle._

"Wise and benevolent...her father and I were good friends...rest his soul, and yet THIS is how you behave when visiting his country?! You have completely shamed both myself and the Southern Isles with your actions!"

Throwing down the letter he returns to the throne, almost collapsing into the seat as he covers his face with his hands. A few moments pass in silence before he lowers his hands. His face looks almost has if it has aged 20 years in the few seconds, the wrinkles becoming more pronounced and his eyes seeming to sink further within his head, almost as if what he is dealing with is draining his very life.

"I do not know who you are anymore...my son would never have attempted something as heinous as this. There is only one thing I can do..."

Getting to his feet, the king stands before the throne, hands behind his back as his voice booms through the room.

"For your crimes of attempted regicide towards the Queen and Princess of Arendelle, I sentence you to permanent exile from the Southern Isles. The Hans I loved and raised as my son is gone, he would never have done something like this. It shall be put into the annals that Hans died on this day, you are NOT my son."

A tear rolls down the old mans face as he gazes at the shocked expression on Hans face.

"You can't be serious father! You can't do this to me?"

Anger springs to the kings face once more at hearing this. He almost leaps off the platform, grabbing the front of Hans' shirt.

"To YOU?! How dare you! You haven't even thought of what this has done to ANYONE else but yourself have you?!" What about your brothers...what about me...what about the Isles?!"

He then releases Hans shirt, disgust evident on his face.

"No...you are certainly not my son anymore...guards...remove this man at once, have him marked for his crimes and the cast from the city."

The four men bow and haul off a hollering Prince.

"Marked? What the hell are you doing to me? Father...FATHER!"

The men hauled the exiled prince out the doors of the throne room and down into the dungeons. Reaching a room with a small forge in it and a man wearing a black hood over his face, they carried the man inside and strapped him down onto a wooden table. The masked man walks over to the forge and pulls an iron out of the fire, the end of it shaped into a circle of about 2" with a T in the center, the end glowing red hot. Walking over to the struggling exile, he motions to one of the guards who moves forward and turns the trapped mans head, exposing his left cheek. Raising the iron, he presses it against Hans cheek, the hot iron instantly burning the flesh it contacts. Up in the throne room the King can hear the screams of the man he recently called his son.

A few hours later, a man is thrown out of the gates leading into the capital city of the Southern Isles, wearing nothing but a simply white shirt, a pair of simple brown pants and boots. A few people move to assist the man until he looks up at them. On the left side of his cheek rests a bright red T, the flesh not healed yet from the searing heat of the brand. Recognize the symbol of a Traitor, the people gasp and move away from the man as he scowls at them and runs off down the road. One simple though runs through his mind as he runs though.

_I will have my vengeance...Arendelle will be mine or fall!_

* * *

**-About 3 months after the Great Thaw-**

It would seem Elsa's new idea to expand Arendelle's ice exports was a resounding success. Since naming Kristoff as the official Ice Master of Arendelle, and selling shipments of her own magical ice, the coffers of the country had been steadily filling. The increased economy, as well as the news of both the Princess and the Queen being involved with prospective suitors, had put the kingdom as a whole into a very happy state. In an effort to better connect with the good people of Arendelle, Elsa had decided to occasionally make trips out into the city and surrounding area, to meet with her people directly. Initially Jharm was not too keen on the idea, as it would open up the Queen to possible assassination attempts, though in the end he knew that he would not be able to stop her from doing it. Over time he grew to accept the practice, seeing that it had a positive effect on both Elsa and on the people in general as they felt that even though she was Queen and thus above them, she still truly cared for them and their well-being.

The day was bright and sunny as Elsa and Jharm moved across the bridge leading out of the castle, headed towards the marketplace for one of her trips to meet with the people. Holding hands, the two entered the marketplace, Jharm glancing over his shoulder to ensure the two backup guards were still behind them, a short distance away so as not to deter the people from wanting to speak with the Queen, and mounted on horseback should her Majesty require a quick getaway.

"You certainly picked a perfect day for your trip my Queen. Not even one cloud in the sky, beautiful."

She looked up at the man as he spoke to her, a smile on his face.

"Who? Me or the weather?"

"Both actually...where shall we head first?"

"Well, I wanted to speak with the merchants first, they seem to be the most vocal when there are any issues arising."

The two head over to a nearby stall, and as Elsa speaks to the man, Jharm glances around surveying the area. Being the marketplace, there are quite a large number of people traveling through, as well as the dockworkers bringing shipments up from the docks for the merchants to sell, or to take elsewhere. Something catches the Sentinel's eye though, a man with a black cloak wrapped around him, the hood pulled over his head to hide his face. This seemed rather strange to the guard as such attire would not really be something needed during such warm weather. The man notices the Sentinel looking at him and moves into a group of people disappearing from sight. Having finished speaking the the merchant, Elsa moves on, Jharm following behind as he thinks to himself. They continue through the marketplace, the Queen stopping to speak with people as Jharm watches around them. Eventually they draw close to the area leading down to the docks, a handful of men unloading crates from a wagon. The men seem unusually rough, even for dock workers. The Sentinel then notices in his peripheral vision a man in a brown cloak speaking to one of the men unloading the crates, gesturing in the direction of Elsa and Jharm.

Picking up a mirror from the merchants cart, he acts as if he is examining the item, but uses the reflective surface to watch the hooded man and dockworker speak. The more he watches though the more Jharm gets an uneasy feeling about what is going on. As he lowers the mirror he looks across the marketplace and spots the black hooded man again, standing at the end of an alleyway looking directly at the Sentinel. Placing the mirror down slowly, Jharm leans down and speaks softly into Elsa's ear.

"Your Majesty...we need to get you back to the castle, I believe you are in danger. If I say to run, get to the guards on horseback and do not look back, understand?"

Elsa stops speaking to the merchant as the Sentinel whispers into her ear, the directions causing her eyes to widen. She moves to look around to see what could be spooking the Sentinel but he stops her.

"No, don't look, you will alert them. We need to move slowly now, try to act natural."

As the duo moves away from the stall though a shout comes from the area of the men unloading the crates.

"Sentinel!"

Jharm turns to look just as two crossbows click, launching bolts at the guard. They slam into his chestplate, punching through the metal and into his body, the force causing the man to stumble back a few steps, then turning to Elsa he says one word.

"Run!"

Eyes wide in horror at the sight of the Sentinel in front of her, two bolts jutting from his chest, Elsa hesitates momentarily before remembering the words he had just spoke and turns and runs towards the two men a short distance behind her. The sight of the injured Sentinel throws the marketplace into a panic, people running in all directions. One of the guards reaches Elsa and grabs her hand, hoisting her onto the horse behind him before turning around and digging his heels into the flanks of the horse, riding full speed towards the castle, the other guard following close behind. They had received specific instructions from the Sentinel and Captain beforehand that if anything was to happen their focus was to be on the Queen's safety and nothing else. The rear guard reaches down to his pack and grabs a horn, raising it to his lips and blowing deeply. The blast echoes through the air, nearby guards hearing the alarm and knowing what it means.

* * *

After Vildayvin had taken over the Royal Guards, he had laid out specific plans as to what should happen if an attempt should occur against the Queen or Princess. Men accompanying either royal would have a horn on their person. Should an attempt occur they were to sound the horn immediately. Any nearby guards were to report to the area immediately to secure the royal(s) and get them to a safe location. Any guards near one of the bell towers in the city were to immediately sound the bell to pass the alarm across the entire city, calling all off-duty guards to report to the castle at once and lock it down from all entry. As the two men on horseback race towards the castle, horn blasting, they pass another guard who springs into action and bolts for the nearby church. Bursting through the doors he races for the cord for the church bells, pulling on them with all his might.

* * *

Vildayvin is standing out in the courtyard, watching some of the guards train, speaking to his Sergeants as he hears a very faint horn blast, then followed by a sound that makes his blood run cold...bells chiming. Knowing Anna was in the royal stables with Kristoff and Sven that meant only one thing...the Queen was in danger! Drawing his sword he begins to bellow orders as the men around him spring into action.

"Gerome and Josper...with me! You men as well! It came from the marketplace!"

Guards rush from all over, many rushing up to the walls, bows in hand as they take position, others moving to block the gates as Vildayvin, the Sergeants, and a squad of men rush across the bridge just as

two horses come galloping up, one bearing a very frightened Elsa. Vildayvin moves to help her down as she attempts to tell him whats going on, but is obviously in shock from the attack. The Captain looks back to his Sergeants as something else springs to mind.

_Where is the Sentinel? Where is Jharm?!_

"Josper! Escort her Majesty to her room at once, seal off the castle, no one is allowed in to see the Queen other then those on the Alpha list! You are hereby authorized to draw steel on anyone else!"

Not waiting for a response, the Captain almost hauls the rear guard off his horse and then leaps up into the saddle, turning and taking off towards the marketplace.

* * *

Reaching into his duster, the Sentinel turns back towards the attackers. As the Queen quickly vanishes behind him, he pulls out two throwing knives and hurls them through the air. The short blades of steel spin as they soar through the air before embedding themselves in the necks of the crossbow wielders. The men grasp at the mortal wounds before collapsing to the ground. Drawing his sword, Jharm charges at the men as they throw the lid off one of the boxes and pull out an assortment of bladed weapons.

"Glory to Arendelle!"

Reaching the men they attempt to defend themselves but can not hope to compete with the master swordsman. Though wounded, the Sentinel almost becomes a dervish of steel as his blade almost becomes an extension of his body. Adrenaline and anger pump through the injured mans body as he fights the evil men in front of him, the steel in his hand shining in the sun as they fall all around him, their blood pooling on the cobblestones below. The Sentinel almost doesn't seem to acknowledge the shafts of wood sticking out from his punctured breastplate until the last man has fallen to the ground. Looking around at the now empty marketplace and satisfied that the threat is over, he begins to try and head back to the castle, making it a few steps away from the corpses of the men he slew before his body finally seems to register the loss of blood he is suffering as his legs grow weak and the man falls to his knees. The sound of clapping is heard behind the man as a figure in black moves into Jharm's view. Looking up he sees it is the cloaked man he had seen earlier. The only part visible is his eyes, green and hate clear in them. A mask is pulled up around the mans face hiding anything else from view. Stopping just a foot away from the injured man, he kicks the sword out of the Sentinel's hand before kneeling down. He then leans in and whispers into Jharm's ear.

"I warned you Sentinel. You and that witch ruined me, I swore I would have my revenge and I will...starting now."

Struggling to speak, the loss of blood affecting the soldier more by the second, Jharm looks up at the man.

"You...I will...see you...dead."

The man chuckles at hearing his as he pulls a small bottle from within his cloak. It is mostly empty, only a few drops of a black liquid still remaining, dropping it at the Sentinel's knees.

"No...you won't. Those bolts inside of you were coated in this...black-blood. One of the most potent poisons around, it will kill you slowly and painfully...and good luck finding any sort of cure, its quite rare. No...you will die, and then I will finish what I started and kill that damnable Princess and accursed witch you love so much, and then Arendelle will burn."

Jharm attempts to raise his hand to grab at the man before him but between the loss of blood, and the poison coursing through him, he simply falls over, laying on his side as he watches the ex-prince turn and vanish into an alley before his vision fades to blackness as he clenches his hand around the poison vial.-

_I am sorry Elsa..._

* * *

Vildayvin rides through the streets of Arendelle, fear evident on his face as he draws up to the marketplace, finding the area to be silent. Through the now vacant stalls he spots the cart and some dead bodies. Urging his horse forward, he rounds the corner of the stalls, getting a clear view of the area...and the form of the Sentinel lying unmoving, two bolts jutting from his breastplate, a multitude of bodies behind him.

"No...Jharm!"

Sliding off the horse he rushes over to the body of his son, lifting him up and checking to see if he still lived. Feeling a very faint breath, he gently lifts Jharm up and carries him over to his horse as some guards come rushing up, responding to the alarm bells. They assist the Captain with placing the wounded Sentinel in the saddle, Vildayvin placing himself behind the unconscious form as he spurs the horse back towards the castle. As he nears the castle, he can see the gates are closed and 4 men stand in front of it.

"Open the gates at once! The Sentinel is injured!"

The men scramble to open the gates, just as the Captain blasts pass them and into the courtyard. Climbing down from the saddle he lowers his sons body down, an object falling from the injured mans hand in the process. Two guards rush up and take the Sentinels body from the Captain as he reaches for the item while still shouting orders.

"Get him inside at once! Close those gates! Someone get the physician to the Sentinel's room NOW! Sgt. Gerome, you will guard the Sentinel!"

Lifting up the item he sees its a small bottle, a few drops of black liquid still inside. Pulling the cork out he wafts his hand over it, the smell coming from within burns at his nose, a smell that makes his eyes go wide and causes him to almost drop the vial.

_Rotten eggs...black-blood! No..._

Black-blood poison was made by combining the venom of a black razorhead snake with the blood of a blood-toad, called such for the bright red coloring on its skin and the toxicity of its blood. Both creatures were extremely rare and hard to find which made the poison almost non-existant, but it had a noticeable odor of rotten eggs as well as a black almost inky color to it which partially gave it its name. Unfortunately due to its extreme rarity, no known antidote had been found yet. The victim would grow weak, and start sweating profusely as the venom began to work through the body. If the victim was lucky they would lose consciousness quickly otherwise they would begin to feel as if their very blood was on fire. Black-blood was intended as a very slow and painful method of death, as it would take days of pain and agony before the victim would finally expire as their heart is eventually polluted by the poison and fails, turning black, the real reason behind the poisons name.

The Captain stands in the courtyard, his face blank and emotionless as his mind attempts to process the discovery.

_They poisoned my son with black-blood! No known cure! Wait..._

He recalled a night many years ago. It was the night that Elsa had accidentally injured Anna with her magic. Her father was yanking books out of a bookcase when Vil had encountered him. It was then he learned of the existance of a group of trolls, ancient creatures known for their connection to the earth and knowledge of healing all sorts of maladies.

_They saved Anna...maybe they could..._

Plugging up the bottle he slips it into an inside pocket of his jacket and then without another thought, the man tore off to the stables, grabbing a saddle off the wall and securing it onto Steelhoofs back. Guiding the horse out of the stables and then leaping into the saddle he pats the horse on the neck as he leans down.

"My son is in danger Steelhoof...think you can show me the meaning of true speed?"

The horse neighs and rears up as Vil spurs him forward, taking off across the bridge and soon out of Arendelle and into the mountains.

– - –

The doors to Elsa's room fly open, the Queen turning around to see Anna come running in, Kristoff a short distance behind her.

"Elsa! Are you OK? What is going on?"

Anna can see the fear plain on Elsas face as the woman tries to speak.

"I don't know...we were attacked...Jharm..."

The sight of Jharm with crossbow bolts in his chest forces its way into her mind. It is obvious the Queen is still in shock from what she has just witnessed. Seeing this, Anna moves to her sister and wraps an arm around her shoulder, moving her over to the edge of the bed where the two sit down. There is a commotion out in the hall, causing the sisters to look towards the door, hope evident in the Queen's eyes as she expects the door to open and the Sentinel come walking in. The door never opens and after a few moments the commotion dies down as the Queen's face falls. Seeing Elsas reaction, Anna squeezes her shoulder.

"Let me go see what is going on OK? Kristoff will keep you company until I come back."

Elsa simply nods her head in acknowledgement. Standing up, Anna walks past Kristoff mouthing "Thank you" to him as she goes out the door. Stopping in the hallway she turns to the guard next to the door, Josper.

"Josper I believe it is? What was all that noise? Where is the Sentinel?"

The Sergeant snaps to attention as the Princess speaks to him.

"The Sentinel has been wounded. Captain Devaron recently returned with him and he has been carried into his room, the Physician is currently seeing to his injuries."

"Thank you for the information."

She then turns and heads down the hallway, stopping in front of the doors leading into Jharm's room. The other Sergeant currently stands in front of the door, snapping to attention as Anna draws close.

"Sergeant, let me into the Sentinel's room at once please."

"Your Highness, I am not sure if you should go in there."

The scowl on Anna's face shows the man just how she feels about his response. Normally the Princess is chipper and friendly, but for the first time he could remember, he was truly intimidated by the woman in front of him.

"Sergeant...that was NOT a request. I am Princess Anna of Arendelle and you WILL let me in there at ONCE!"

The guard bows as he moves out of the way, apologizing as he opens the door.

"My apologies Princess Anna...it's just that he is not in the best of shape."

Stopping as she hears this, she realizes the man was not stopping her because she was not allowed in, he was stopping her because he wasn't sure if she would want to see the Sentinel in such a wounded state. Placing a hand on the mans shoulder she smiles at him.

"Thank you for your concern Sergeant."

She then continues into the office, crossing through and passing through the doors leading into the bedchambers of the Sentinel. As the doors open up, the Physician looks up, her eyes gazing at the Princess from behind her thick glasses as Anna walks over to the bed.

"Edna, how is the Sentinel? Is he alright?"

The doctor looks down at the injured man before her. The guards who had carried him in had assisted in removed the damaged breastplate and ruined shirt and she had just extracted the heads of the bolts and wrapped the wounds. However it was evident something was very wrong; while such injuries can be quite traumatic to the body, the experienced healer saw signs that led her to a belief that worried her greatly...the man was poisoned. She had noticed the entry wounds on Jharm had a strange blackish tint around them, and that he was sweating heavily even though the windows were open and a cool breeze blew through the room. Hesitating, she tries to decide on the best answer to give the Princess, but another voice causes both Anna and the doctor to look at the door, seeing Elsa standing before them.

"Edna...will Jharm be alright?"

The look in the Queens eyes almost begging for the answer she was hoping to hear, that he would be fine and up in no time at all. Edna lowers her eyes as she turns back to the injured man as she tries to decide how much to reveal to Elsa, knowing what the true news could possibly do to her. Before she could stop herself though, an answer sprang from her lips.

"I am not sure my Queen...while he is a very healthy and strapping man, the bolts went in deep and he has lost a good amount of blood. With care, I think he may be alright though."

As the woman speaks, Elsa slowly moves closer to the bed until she is next to the doctor. Jharm lies before her, his chest wrapped in bandages, his face covered in a thin layer of sweat. Suddenly his body spasms slightly as pain tears through him, though no sound escapes from his lips. The sight causes Elsa to gasp slightly as she brings a hand to her mouth. The sight of the man she cared so strongly about in such a weakened state frightened her. Anna gently took Elsa's other hand within her own.

"Elsa...maybe we should go back to your room for now."

The Queen turns and looks into her sisters eyes. What Anna sees almost shocks her. Gone is any fear or sadness...replaced by determination and a slight hint of anger.

"No...until the Sentinel wakes up I am not leaving this room. He stayed by our side when I was asleep after my last episode, I will not abandon him now."

She does however move across the room, through the office and opens the door out into the hallway, Gerome turning around to see the Queen standing before him.

"Sergeant...I want any and all available men out searching the city and surrounding areas to find those responsible for this. Leave no stone unturned, I want those guilty of this to be found. Any information provided that assists in the search will be justly rewarded, am I making myself perfectly clear?"

The man bows as he responds.

"Yes Your Majesty, at once!"

He then motions Josper over and passes along the order to him, the man then running down the hall to see it carried out. Elsa then closes the door and walks back over to the bed, pulling a nearby chair over and sitting down in it. Without looking away from the stricken Sentinel she speaks to Anna and Edna.

"Please...leave us alone for a little while."

The physician bows and turns to leave, though Anna hesitates at the idea of leaving her sister alone right now, but finally moves at the nudging of the doctor. After the two have left the room, Elsa gently takes the mans hand within her own but then releases it as his skin feels so warm its almost like its on fire. Standing up she moves across the room, enter the washroom. Coming back out with a small bowl filled with water and a cloth in her other hand, she walks back over to the bed. Before placing the bowl down on the table, she stops for a second as she focuses. Ice forms at her finger tips and covers the outside of the bowl, instantly chilling the water down. Placing it on the table, she soaks the cloth in the cold water and begins to wipe it across Jharm's forehead as she speaks to him.

"Jharm...I don't know if you can hear me, but don't you dare leave me. I had always believed that I would be alone forever, not being able to control my powers, and even if I could...I would simply frighten off anyone who showed interest. You weren't frightened though, you didn't see me as some sort of...snow witch. You fought to protect me even when so many seemed willing to turn against me because of my powers."

She gently places her left hand on his arm, running it down towards his hand. Ice crystals lightly coat her hand, temporarily cooling the Sentinels skin until she reaches his hand. Wrapping her smaller hand within his she continues talking, still dabbing the cool cloth on his head, occasionally placing the cloth back in the bowl and squeezing the water out with her right hand.

"With you and Anna at my side, I have experienced happiness and joy like I have never known. I almost lost her...I don't want to lose you."

She then leans forward as she whispers into his ear.

"Please...don't leave me."

Ever so slowly, the Sentinel's left hand closes around Elsa's giving it a weak squeeze. A tear rolls down the Queen's cheek as she smiles at the sight and then stands up, her left hand still within his. Bending over him, she places a kiss gently on his forehead and then whispers something.

"I love you."


End file.
